


the magic of christmas time

by fullmetalscully



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Drama, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection, Romance, christmas advent calender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:48:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 29,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21651742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmetalscully/pseuds/fullmetalscully
Summary: 24 days - 24 oneshots | with angst, fluff, and everything in between | both canon and aua collection of christmas themed oneshots to celebrate royai | chapter prompts based on my favourite christmas songsfic title - the magic of christmas time by taeyeon
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 128
Kudos: 67





	1. fairytail of new york

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fairytale of new york - the pogues feat. kirsty maccoll

**_i turned my face away_ **

**_and dreamed about you_ **

Gunfire was hardly the noise he wanted to hear waking up extremely early on Christmas day. Roy panicked on instinct, his dream suddenly very real, but he calmed when he looked around his tent and spotted Maes still sound asleep on the opposite side. His snoring managed to reach him over the gradually quieting sound of gunfire.

Had some of that been in his head? It must have been, because they were distant shots now in the night.

Roy flopped back down and let out a shaky breath. Lifting one hand, he pressed it against his eyes hard, making stars dance in his vision. In the spirit of the holiday, it reminded him of the Christmas lights that decorated his mother’s tree when he was a boy.

Staying at Master Hawkeye’s house he’d never seen a tree, and although he’d wanted to return home for the holiday to celebrate it and visit his family, Master Hawkeye didn’t exactly forbid it, he just scoffed and rolled his eyes, muttering about how nothing was more important than alchemy. Disheartened and afraid he’d disappointed his master, Roy had phoned home that night exclaiming he was getting somewhere with his training and didn’t want to leave so soon, as he felt he would regress in his abilities if he did so. Madame Christmas hadn’t been happy, but had stated as long as Roy was happy, she was.

But… he _had_ been happy, because he ended up sharing the day with _her_.

Roy let up the pressure on his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. The lights danced, torturing him with the reminder of a more innocent and joyous time, when he was full of youthful optimism and drive.

When he got to spend every day with her.

A shell shook the ground beneath his bunk and Roy started, shocked from his reverie. Maes didn’t let up a beat in his snoring. With his lips pressed into a thin line, Roy felt sadness and regret coil in the pit of his stomach. It was sad that Maes was so used to this now. They’d only been out here a few months, but a shell landing didn’t even stir the man from sleep.

Tentatively, Roy lay back down and blinked up at the ceiling of his tent.

“Merry Christmas, Roy,” Maes muttered from his bunk. Turning his head, Roy watched as he stretched out and yawned, rolling over to face Roy, but not yet opening his eyes. “A shell blast, just what I’ve always fucking wanted as a present.”

Roy huffed a laugh at his friend’s sarcasm. “Yeah.”

“We might not see another one,” Maes muttered, his words turning the tent into silence. For just a second, it sounded like the gunfire had gotten louder, and that statement sounded like it could very quickly become a reality. “So, do me a favour and write to her.” Maes rolled over, leaving Roy in stunned silence. “Tell her how you feel.” Roy blinked at his friend. “Do it tomorrow. You don’t want to live with that regret if this really _is_ the last one.”

Silence enveloped them once more. Roy nodded and agreed. “You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” Maes huffed, making Roy smile. “Just do yourself a favour and grow a pair.” Roy laughed at that one. It reminded him of a conversation with the Madame shortly before he left for Ishval. It was eerily similar.

“Go to sleep, Roy,” Maes muttered. “I can hear you thinking from here.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Roy muttered, burying himself further underneath his military grade (also known as _shit quality_ , as dubbed by any officer Roy had ever met) blanket. A lazy salute caught Roy’s eye, followed by Maes giving him a very clear sight of his middle finger.

Roy grinned and rolled over, turning his face away from his friend and the gunfire outside. Slipping into unconsciousness, his thoughts turned to the woman who frequently occupied his dreams nowadays. He thought back to happier times – to the moments they had shared as children. Then, it progressed to the last night they’d shared together and how she was so afraid for him. He was afraid for him too, but only because he feared forgetting her. Would the war warp him so much that he forgot who he was, and in turn, Riza Hawkeye?

Roy never wanted that to happen.

Those whisky eyes and that warm, golden, hair lulled him comfortably into his slumber. The warmth of her smile wrapped around him like a blanket and for just a moment, he was back to being Roy Mustang. Not the Hero of Ishval, the monster, the murderer. His gift to himself on Christmas Day was simply a memory he would willingly relive for the rest of his days, however numbered they were.

It was the memory of her smile.


	2. christmas wrapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> christmas wrapping - the waitresses
> 
> part 1 of 4 | sequels are chapter 12, 13, and 14

**_when what to my wondering eyes should appear_ **

**_in the line is that guy i've been chasing all year_ **

“Come on, Hayate,” Riza urged, rolling her eyes at herself. _How_ could she forget cranberries? Those were her favourites. Glancing at the clock, Riza thought that if they were very quick, they’d manage to grab some at the store before it closed.

It was unknown to Riza why she was so desperate. She was celebrating Christmas alone, as usual, but she couldn’t rest knowing that she’d missed them out. They _were_ her favourite, after all, and what would Christmas be without her favourite food?

Riza whistled and slapped her thigh. Hayate bounded out the door and down the path while Riza locked the door. The leash tugged in her hand violently, so it was a struggle to keep a handle on her excitable pup – he absolutely _adored_ playing in the snow – but Riza managed. She hurried him along as he sniffed at their gate, the cold already settling in her bones.

The mad dash to the store warmed her up considerably, but she still welcomed the blast of hot air after walking in the door. Manoeuvring her way around the shelves, she found what she was looking for with a triumphant smile. Hayate waited patiently by her side, staring up at her, but on the verge of beginning to whine because he wanted to go back out into the snow. If the local store wasn’t so accommodating, she’d have to leave him outside, but Riza was glad they allowed dogs in. If they didn’t, in that amount of snow outside, Riza would never see Hayate again, probably until late spring when it started to melt. He’d turn into a mountain dog, wandering the wilderness in their far corner of the world, spending most of his time frolicking in the white powder. He knew where his bread was buttered though. He’d come crawling back when his new plaything disappeared, for sure.

“Hey,” a surprised greeting drew her attention away from the cashier as she waited in the small line. Apparently, everyone had the same idea and was out shopping for their Christmas meal at the last minute on Christmas Eve. She says everyone, because there were five people in the queue, and in this small, mountain, town, that was about half the population.

Riza turned and surprise flooded her. Before she could stop herself, a smile spread across her face. “Hi,” she greeted.

Roy Mustang grinned back at her. His gaze flicked downwards as Hayate moseyed on up, sniffing his legs. Roy bent down and pet him, giving him a good scratch behind his ears and under his chin. “Hello to you too, Hayate,” he greeted.

Riza’s stomach flipped inside of her, and while she scolded herself half-heartedly, she couldn’t help but smile. She and Roy had met up a few times for beers at the local bar – about a mile walk through thick snow into town from both their houses – and she’d always had a great time. Their meetings were sporadic, however. He worked at the bottom of the mountain, whereas she worked on the slopes for the forestry commission. He alternated between working backshift or nightshift, whereas she was out during the day in the forests. It was difficult, and if things were a lot easier, Riza would like to pursue things further with him. Additionally, she always seemed to be busy, or an illness crept up on her and she had to cancel on the plans they made. Roy was a good sport and told her it was no problem, with the joking response of “ _I’ll see you in few months then_ ”, and he wasn’t far off. Not intentionally. They were both just very busy people.

“What brings you into town this evening?” he asked with his easy smile. His gaze dropped to her hand and widened slightly. Roy chuckled. “Did you forget them too?”

“What?” she asked, brow furrowing.

Roy held up the same tin Riza had in her hand and laughed.

“I guess I did, yeah,” she replied, amused.

“It’s funny how we always seem to meet under coincidence, and not through actually planning something.”

“I’m not doing it on purpose, I swear.”

“Okay, good,” Roy replied, sounding relieved, but there was a hint of a twinkle in his dark, beautiful eyes. “If it goes on any longer, I might start taking it personally,” he winked.

Riza couldn’t help it, a loud laugh left her. “No, rest assured, it’s not on purpose. I swear.”

Roy cocked his head for a moment, studying her. Riza’s mouth parted for barely a second, anticipation prickling over her skin at the look in his eye. “Say… What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“Cooking a shit tonne of food to eat by myself, then digging into these bad boys.” She held up the tine and watched as Roy laughed, and a thrill flying through her body. “What about yourself?”

“I wont lie to you: exactly the same. What about we get together?”

“What?” _That_ threw her off.

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Why don’t we spend Christmas Day together? I’ll just be a sad sight in my house, sitting alone, and you will be a vision in the warmth of your beautiful home, of course,” he grinned mischievously, and Riza blushed, shushing him with a light hit to his arm. Roy just laughed. “Plus, it wasn’t planned so there’s no way it could fail,” he joked.

“You’re right there.”

“So, what do you say? You can never have too many cranberries, after all,” he shrugged with a cock of his head, a suggestive grin on his face while holding up the tin can as if it was a deal breaker. It was friendly invite, nothing more, but his dorky way had grown on her over the past year, and hell, it sure beat spending Christmas by herself again.

“Yeah,” she agreed, a grin spreading across her face, matching his. “Why not?”


	3. driving home for christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> driving home for christmas - chris rea

**_i'm driving home for christmas_ **

**_oh, i can't wait to see those faces_ **

Roy’s thumb tapped impatiently on the steering wheel of his car. The other hand was pressed against his mouth, his forefinger curving around his lips as he stared at the stationary red rear lights of the car in front of him. The radio hummed in the background and Roy sang along absentmindedly, lost in his own world.

Snapping out of his reverie, Roy straightened to make himself more comfortable and sighed. Just one more mile. One more mile to go on this traffic then he was plain sailing all the way home. Excitement bubbled inside of him at the impending surprise he’d give his family. He grinned to himself, all too proud of his little plan.

They didn’t know he was coming. They thought he was stuck in South City for the holidays with work, unable to get away and return home. With a little bit of smooth talking, he’d arranged with his boss to return home for the day and come back on the 27th December. It would mean double the work when he returned, but it would worth it. It would always be worth it for them.

He just had to get through this last pesky mile. Glancing at the clock in his car, the red LEDs crept closer to eight o’clock at night. It had taken him an hour to travel the last mile. Hopefully this one was quicker. He prayed it was. He wanted to go see them before they retired to bed for the night.

Roy snorted to himself. They were always far too excited for Christmas Day. There was no way they’d be asleep before ten.

Traffic was slow moving but it picked up and within ten minutes, he was at a steady rolling pace, which sure beat sitting stationary for the last twenty minutes. Movement to his right caught his eye and Roy looked over at the man next to him. He was younger but appeared to be far more irritable than Roy about their current situation. His long blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, his fringe falling across his burning eyes. His expression was set in annoyance. When Roy had glanced over before, he’d even noticed the guy’s eye twitch. That kept Roy amused for long enough.

To his left there was a couple. The man’s glasses caught the headlights every so often, reflecting off them and catching Roy’s eye as he’d idly glanced around him in boredom. His wife or girlfriend was sleeping in the passenger seat, and from the angle, Roy could see she was pregnant. Every so often the man would glance over at the woman, smile, and give her hand a squeeze before returning his own to the steering wheel. It was incredibly cute.

Suddenly, the car in front sped up and took off down the road. Roy grinned and punched it into gear, leaving his makeshift companions behind, already forgetting about them because he was finally on the way home.

The rest of the drive was effortless. So not to ruin his surprise, he parked at the kerb a few houses down. Pulling out his phone with a grin, he approached his decorated house. Lights illuminated the gutters above their windows. They were never big decorators, but Roy always loved the lights on the front of the house. It wasn’t too gaudy like some of the others in the street. It was simple and classy, just like them, Roy had snickered.

One other decoration caught his eye, and Roy smiled to himself. It was a painted sign, hammered into the grass, politely asking if Santa could stop at their home and deliver presents. That was a sign he hadn’t seen in a long time. He’d painted it with his mother when he was a child, hence the chicken scratch writing.

Angling his phone perfectly through Snapchat, he pressed down the button to record a video. “Wow, someone has been busy decorating,” he stated, unable to keep the grin out of his voice. He had left for the hot South City before they’d decorated, and Roy had hated it. It was his favourite part of the preparations. Decorating the tree was his job, but this year he’d had to sit it out because he was away. It crushed him more than he cared to admit, but nothing could be done.

Well, except his impromptu journey home arranged this morning.

Ending the video, Roy scrolled through his friends to find the perfect people to send it to. He didn’t have to go far, and his eyes lit up with his excitement when he spotted the names. Hitting send, Roy leaned back against the front of his truck and waited.

Two minutes later, the porch light turned on and the front door opened in haste. A figure stood there for a second, glancing around. It was hard to see in the dim light of the night, and the contrasting bright light from the porch, so all Roy could make out was a silhouette, but Roy knew it was her.

The figure ran down the path and onto the street. Grinning, Roy pushed himself off his truck as his wife ran towards him. As soon as she was close enough, he spotted the happy-crying expression on her face. She hit him with such a force he staggered backwards as her arms were thrown around his neck. Roy caught her by the waist, then wrapped his arms around her tightly and gave her a squeeze.

“You came home,” she whispered.

“I’m home,” he chuckled, far too pleased with how his plan had turned out. He’d been planning on surprising Riza this whole time and the payoff was worth it.

“When? How? Did you just get back now?”

“Yeah. Right now.” Roy pulled away and brushed her fringe from her face. He bent his head and kissed his wife after being unable to do so for the last two weeks. That had been an incredibly long and boring two weeks, but he’d made it.

“So… You’re home for Christmas?” Her whisky eyes stared up at him in earnest, her mouth parting in anticipation, hoping he would confirm it.

“I’m home for Christmas, Riza. I drove back all day.”

Riza pressed her lips hard against his, and Roy eagerly reciprocated, holding her tight.

“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “You’re really here.” Tears of happiness welled in her eyes again and Roy swiped away the pesky ones that had fallen with his thumbs.

“I’ll always come home to you,” he whispered quietly in her ear. Riza’s grip around his shoulders tightened.

“Mum?” a voice called down the street and Roy grinned.

“Hey, Mia,” Roy called to her.

“… _Dad_?” she gasped, then said it again, but this time it was close to shriek.

“Whoa, Mia, what –?” their eldest, James, asked in concern, also appearing on the porch as his sister sprinted down the path and onto the street. “Hey, Dad!” he called with a grin, waving. James took a moment to put on a pair of shoes – the only sensible one out of the three, apparently – and made his way over to them. “You made it,” James grinned.

Roy beamed at them all as Mia hugged him tightly around his waist, not letting go, Riza gripped onto his arm, and James hugged him awkwardly above Mia. Roy had wrapped his free arm around James’ shoulders, hugging him back.

“I made it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this another oneshot for let you love me...? maybe.... ;D


	4. merry christmas everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas everyone - shakin' stevens

**_we're gonna have a party tonight_ **

**_i'm gonna find that girl_ **

**_underneath the mistletoe_ **

**_we'll kiss by candle light_ **

“More sausage rolls, everyone,” Roy announced, entering his living room while holding the plate of piping hot food above his head. It was safer that way. No one would bump into him and send that food flying across his carpet where someone’s dog would hoover it up immediately.

He wasn’t sure who had brought the dog, but in the madness of trying to keep everyone entertained with food and drink, he’d caught a glimpse of a small, black and white Shiba manoeuvring through the throng of people.

A cheer went up from the people in the room. The loudest coming from his colleague and close friend, Heymans Breda. He was by Roy’s side in a second and was already looking to get his hands on the food. Roy did notice he was followed closely behind by a tipsy and very merry Jean Havoc, who grinned lopsidedly at Roy. His eyes landed on the new tray of food, then lit up excitedly.

“I don’t know how you do it man,” Heymans commented, clapping Roy amicably on the back. “What with being a bachelor and all,” he added. “But you always put on a good spread.”

“You can thank the woman that raised me,” he grinned.

“To Chris Mustang!” Heymans announced loudly, followed by a mimicked shout by Havoc, which was considerably louder and more slurred than his friend’s. Roy laughed and shook his head, letting them descend on the food he’d spent all day yesterday preparing for tonight.

At least it was going down a storm.

Roy was proud of how busy his party was. His house was large – not to brag – but it helped when the job paid well. All the people in attendance were a mixture of his colleagues and his friends.

“Roy!” his oldest friend called to him. Lifting his head to scan the room, Roy looked for Maes Hughes. He was standing in the doorway, offering Roy a wave and a grin. By his side was his wife, Gracia Hughes, whose baby bump was apparently eagerly entering the room before her nowadays. Roy grinned at them and waved back, motioning to ask Maes to give him two minutes, then he’d be through to greet them properly. Shouting it would have worked, however Roy wasn’t sure it would’ve carried over the loud music and the chatter of the people.

“Merry Christmas, man,” Maes greeted, enveloping Roy in a tight hug. Roy laughed and returned his greeting.

“Gracia!” he cried with a grin, hugging Maes’ wife. “You’re positively glowing.”

“Oh, you,” she stated fondly, swatting at his arm.

“How long until the sprog is due?”

“My _darling daughter_ is due in three months,” Maes corrected, but still breezed over Roy’s comment. “Oh, I can’t _wait_ until her first Christmas. She will be so spoiled!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Roy muttered, purposefully loud enough so Maes would hear. Gracia snickered at Maes’s frown, and when it was turned on her, she excused herself with an amused smile, stating she needed to freshen up.

“I’m happy for you, man,” Roy stated. “Really, I am. I can’t wait until she’s here.”

“Neither can I,” Maes grinned.

“I’m glad you’re taking one for the team,” Roy added, leading the way to his kitchen. It was quieter in here, but the murmur of the chatter and the sound of the music still wafted through to them. “You can do it first and let me know how it goes.”

Maes laughed. “Thanks for that. I don’t know how I feel about being a guinea pig.”

“Someone’s gotta do it,” Roy winked.

“That’s true. I don’t know if I’d trust you with a kid. I mean, you’ve managed not to get yourself killed so far in your twenty-nine years of being alive, and that’s an amazing feat as it is.” Roy punched his shoulder, but not hard enough to do any real damage. It just knocked Maes gently to the side as he grinned. “But you? Having a kid?” Maes shuddered. “The poor thing,” he stated dramatically, clutching his chest.

“Shut up,” Roy muttered, but it was good-natured.

“It’ll happen. And don’t worry, you’ll be a pro.”

Roy snorted. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” he replied, pulling two beers out of the fridge. He handed one to Maes and the two clinked the tops of their bottles together.

“I don’t know, I’ve seen you with kids before. You’re a natural.”

“A natural big brother, yeah, but… Ah, I don’t know,” he dismissed. He caught Maes smiling knowingly at him out the corner of his eye, but Roy ignored it.

“You just need to find the right partner. Once you have them, it’ll be plain sailing for you, man.”

Roy snorted, muttering under his breath that that was even more unlikely.

Maes chuckled and bumped Roy’s shoulder with his own. “It’s Christmas. Stop being so down about this shit. That’s a future problem for New Year Roy.”

“I like the sound of that, I’m not going to lie to you,” he grinned in response.

“That’s the Christmas spirit, right there,” Maes grinned. “Okay, I need to go and see if Gracia is all right. Catch you in a bit, Roy.”

“See you.”

Throughout the night Roy was kept busy with requests for food and drink, as well as catching up with old friends and chatting with his colleagues. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and that eased his mind a great deal. That’s all he ever wanted – for a night for everyone to unwind before Christmas hit in two days’ time.

He did spot that Shiba again three more times. The one time Roy tried to follow it to find the owner – merely out of curiosity – he lost the pup in the throng of people then gave up.

However, the answer he’d been searching for came in the form of a very drunk colleague – Rebecca Catalina.

“Hey, Roy!” she greeted loudly. He’d taken a quiet minute with a beer in his back garden, gazing out over the lights in the distance that was the centre of Central City.

“Hey, Rebecca,” he smiled.

“Great party! Thanks for the invite,” she grinned, plopping herself down next to him on the step.

“You’re more than welcome.”

“I have a favour to ask.”

 _Okay, here we go_. “Shoot,” Roy replied, hiding his amusement underneath the guise of taking a sip of his beer. Not that Rebecca would’ve noticed anyway.

“I have this friend –”

“No!” Roy replied loudly, but there was a hint of a smile in his voice. Whenever Rebecca asked him that, it never ended well. Amusing, but probably more at his expense, than at the situation.

“Aw, come on!” she whined.

“Absolutely not,” he grinned. “Remember the last “friend”?”

Rebecca was silent for a minute. “Okay, but I _really_ wanted those tickets!”

“I’m not whoring myself out for you again,” he chuckled, taking another swig. _Even if it was slightly worth it_.

“I’m not asking you to,” she stressed. “I would be a _terrible_ friend if I did.”

“Yes, you would,” he winked. Rebecca huffed in annoyance. “Tell you what,” Roy stated, his mind cooking up a plan. If he was going to be wrapped up in another of Rebecca’s crazy “friend” schemes, then he might as well get his own kicks out of it. “I’ll go with your friend if you go with mine?”

Rebecca cocked her head and considered it for a moment. There was a clarity on her eyes that wasn’t there a second ago. “Deal. I’ve seen most of the people here tonight. They all seem… normal… ish.”

“Thanks,” he replied sarcastically.

“Well, I mean, normal for you.”

“Aren’t you a _great_ friend, Rebecca?” he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm now as he bumped her shoulder gently with his. He feared that if he did it too hard, she’d go toppling over in her state and end up with a head injury and that was decidedly _not_ what he needed tonight.

“Who is it?”

“Jean Havoc.”

Rebecca considered it for a second. Her face screwed up minutely then relaxed into a satisfied grin. “Okay. I can deal with that.”

Roy snorted. “I don’t know if he’ll be able to, but it will get him off my back about hooking him up with someone.”

“Like _you_ know that many women,” Rebecca cackled, finding her joke incredibly funny.

Roy scowled at her but ending up amused at her laughter. To most it would be incredibly irritating, but Roy was used to it, what with the two of them being good friends for so long. Next to Maes Hughes, Rebecca Catalina was probably his oldest and closest friend.

“So, who’s mine?”

“A girl called Riza Hawkeye.”

“Girl?” he questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes, she’s female,” Rebecca replied and blinked at him, slightly confused. “Would you prefer a guy?”

Roy rolled his eyes. “I _meant_ how old?”

“ _That’s_ a rude thing to ask a lady,” a voice replied from behind them both. Roy turned and his breath caught in his throat. A beautiful woman stood before his French doors, silhouetted in the light from inside. However, even in the darkness of her form, he could make out her finer features, and what drew him in first was her eyes. They were twinkling with amusement, with possibly mischief mixing in with the whisky that seemed to be trapped inside her orbs.

“That’s her,” Rebecca stage whispered into his ear.

“Yeah, thanks,” Roy replied flatly. “I got that.”

“Are you whoring me out to people again, Rebecca?” she asked, a frown on her face. However, Roy did notice the slight twitch at the corner of her lips. Oh, he hadn’t strayed far from her lips since he’d managed to draw himself away from her eyes.

Rebecca scoffed. “Honestly, you two and that phrase,” she rolled her eyes. “You’re perfect for each other!” she exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in the air. “Anyway, Riza, this is Roy. Roy, this is Riza. We’ve all met. Now, stay here and get to canoodling. You can thank me later, bye!”

Riza and Roy blinked at their mutual friend as she left, slamming his French doors closed, leaving them both in the garden alone. The music and sound of conversation from inside was muted now, leaving them with the sound of the crickets.

Riza shook her head but smiled at Roy. She held out her hand for him to shake and Roy took it, shooting her his own winning smile. “Nice to meet you,” Riza began. “I’m Riza.”

“Roy. The pleasure is all mine, Riza,” he replied smoothly. It looked like she resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and his interest piqued.

“It appears we’ve both been subjected to Rebecca’s meddling.”

“I did wonder if she needed something out of it again,” Roy added.

“You do this a lot then?” she asked, amused.

Roy shook his head. “God, no. The women she normally tries to set me up with are all either crazy or sad messes. Sometimes both, which is always an adventure.”

“So, which one am I then?” He turned to face her, his smile dropping, thinking he’d offended her, but he noticed her teasing expression and that mischief was back in her eyes.

“Neither. You seem to be wholly sane, which is a relief.”

Riza laughed, tipping her head back. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her back. Roy was frozen in place by the sight. It was astounding. “The feeling is mutual, and I think she might actually have found a good one for a change,” she added, glancing at him out the corner of her eye.

Roy swallowed and opened his mouth to reply, but nothing left him. His brain ceased to function after hearing not only her beautiful laugh, but the display that went along with it. Panicking slightly, he started to speak before he could think.

“I need to –”

A bang on the door interrupted them, saving Roy from any embarrassment, thankfully. Rebecca was banging on the glass with a leash in her hands. At the end of it was the small Shiba he’d seen throughout the night. Rebecca was motioning wildly down at the dog, but Roy had no idea what for.

“It would appear the dog’s master has been summoned,” Riza chuckled.

“ _Ah_ , so it’s _you_ who brought the dog.”

“Oh, yes, it was. I hope you don’t mind?” All jest was gone from her tone and there was only concern.

“No, of course not,” he waved her off. “I love dogs.”

Riza visibly relaxed, her shoulders sagging slightly, then she straightened. “Rebecca did say you wouldn’t mind, but I should have asked first. Sorry,” she apologised sheepishly.

Common sense _and_ politeness. This was a whole new breed of Rebecca’s “friends”.

“It’s all right,” he managed to force out of his dry mouth. Cursing himself – he’d never been so starstruck by a woman before and it was both exhilarating and frightening – he licked his lips.

“Well, Roy Mustang,” Riza began with a finality in her tone. “I need to go and see to my dog and my crazy friend.” Roy nodded, feeling disappointment creep up his body. “But,” Riza added, half turning to face him as she ascended the steps to his home. “Come and find me when you’re ready,” she smiled coyly. “I’ll be waiting patiently underneath the mistletoe.”

Oh, _hell_.

Well, he wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if he left her waiting, now would he?


	5. the cowboy's christmas ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the cowboy's christmas ball - the killers

**_and the music started sighin', an' awailin' through the hall_ **

**_it was there that i attended "the cowboys' christmas ball"_ **

Roy tipped his hat in greeting at the man at standing by the door. In return, he tipped his own and greeted Roy with a joyful “howdy” before moving onto the next person, shooting a grin at everyone who entered the old barn.

Glancing up as he entered, Roy spotted decorations hanging from the rafters above, dangling down over their heads. Candles lined the walls, their flames flickering in the cool evening breeze of the east. Even at this time of year it was warm due to the proximity of the desert across the border. Tinsel and paper fluttered however their crinkling was drowned out by the lively band at the other end of the barn. There was no singing in their songs, but the banjo, fiddle, and drums would have blocked out the singer anyway with their cheery, upbeat tune. The dancers in the middle of the dancefloor gave it their all, moving effortlessly in time to the beat, obviously used to dancing this one. Their feet thumped in time on the wooden floor beneath them. This song appeared to be a regular at events like this, because _everyone_ was in time and didn’t miss a beat.

Easing himself through the throng, Roy approached the bar and tipped his hat in greeting.

“Howdy,” the barman shot him an easy grin, placing the glass he’d been cleaning on top of the bar and tapping it once, silently asking what Roy would like. His country drawl settled over Roy like a comfort.

“Beer, please,” Roy replied.

The man looked slightly taken aback, then nodded and chuckled at his own private joke. “Apologies, sir. I was surprised by the manners. We don’t get a lot of that ‘round these parts.” Roy shrugged. It wasn’t the first time that had happened to him today. “You from the city?”

Roy nodded. “Yeah, Central.”

The man whistled lowly, apparently impressed. “I bet this is a far cry from what you’re used to, huh?”

“It is,” Roy agreed, turning to glance around the room. Someone caught his eye and Roy grinned to himself. “However, I have a good person looking out for me,” he reassured the barman, turning back to collect his drink.

“That’s a mighty fine idea, if I do say so myself. The east can be a wild place. You’ll find none of that trouble here, but it’s good to have someone lookin’ out for ya.”

“Thank you.” Roy lifted his glass in thanks and nodded to the man. He tipped his hat in return and the two parted ways.

The dancing continued around them, the dancers becoming more animated and enthusiastic as the music reached a crescendo. Everyone froze expertly in time when the music paused, finally hitting its peak, then the music continued at its initial, much slower pace. It was an incredible thing to watch. The way they were all in sync and with wide grins on their faces. It was much different from the waltz in Central, and it was refreshing. This was more freeing, and Roy thought he’d take this kind of dancing over waltzing any day.

“Hello, darlin’,” he greeted, taking a seat at one of the long tables stretching around the outskirts of the barn.

Riza Hawkeye turned to face him with a wide grin. “Howdy, partner.”

Roy chuckled and took a swig of his beer. “So, what brings a pretty girl like you here tonight, all alone? Surely you have a fine young man on the way to meet you?”

Riza rolled her eyes and Roy laughed at her response. He’d never been good at “cowboying it up”, as Havoc called it.

“No, there’s no man I need to wait on,” she stated firmly. “I got nothing from the informant,” she stated. Ah, so business it was. Roy was slightly disheartened. He thought the man he’d sent her to meet would know at least _something_ about their quarry, but apparently not.

“That’s interesting,” Roy stated, pondering over what she’d said. He shifted closed, placing an arm around her shoulders as they sat and watched the dancers. Roy’s foot tapped in time with the music. “The group were here.” His announcement was quiet, Roy finally dropping the act he’d crafted for the locals here.

“He confirmed it?” Roy’s informant had been the barman. They’d conversed back and forth throughout the week, and at the man’s insistence, they’d come to this “Christmas Ball” in the middle of nowhere to scope the situation out. However, it was a good decision, because the atmosphere was electric and Roy was thoroughly enjoying himself, despite only being here about half an hour.

Roy nodded, tipping his head closer to Riza so they wouldn’t be overheard. It wasn’t likely, but it meant he was close enough now that he could smell the lavender of her shampoo and that wasn’t an opportunity he was going to pass up. “They’re in the area,” Roy added, his voice a murmur in her ear. Minutely, her spine straightened, and her shoulders tensed as a reaction to it, and Roy smiled to himself now she could no longer see it. “I don’t know where, but they’re definitely “around these parts”.”

Riza snorted as he put on an eastern twang just for that last part. “I see you’ve been sucking up the culture of the place.”

Roy pulled away and didn’t hide his grin this time. He shrugged. “It has a certain charm to it,” he replied, not tearing his eyes away from her for a second. Riza’s cheeks turned pink slightly and she looked away as he took another swig of his beer. She knew well enough he was talking about her. Since moving to Central she’d lost her own twang, but it came out every now and again and Roy _loved_ those moments.

“They seem to be dangerous though. He said it’s good I have someone looking out for me.”

“Well, that’s a given, sir,” she stated.

“I’m glad,” he grinned, taking another drink.

They’d gathered the intel they needed for the night, so that meant the two were free to enjoy the rest of the soiree as they saw fit. They had to blend in, after all, and that would require dancing. Roy couldn’t wait.

As he scanned the barn, he couldn’t help but notice the large banner hanging on the wall behind the band. “I must say, I’d never heard of a “Cowboys’ Christmas Ball” before this trip.”

Riza shrugged. “I think nowadays its run to attract tourism to the area – a real treat of the old eastern ways. It’s very authentic though, I must say.”

“You went to things like this as a kid?”

Riza nodded and smiled. “With my mother, yes, they were a staple of the east. I used to dance with her by standing on her feet.” Roy chuckled at that image, finding it positively adorable. “They fizzled out in frequency, if I remember correctly, so we stopped going, but I know here in this town they do one every Christmas and have done for decades. It’s the longest running Christmas Ball and quite a famous event in the east. Plus, it just adds to the spirit of Christmas.”

“I quite like it, if I’m being honest. The spurs are kind of annoying,” he added, looking down at the boots he’d bought from a fancy-dress shop in Central before arriving. It was the only place in the city that stocked those boots. “But this is something I could get used it,” he grinned.

Riza snorted. “I’ve seen you on a horse.”

He’d fallen flat on his ass the first time he’d ridden one. “I could still get used to it. I don’t need to be a cowboy who rides a horse.”

“That’s kind of the whole point,” Riza replied.

Roy shrugged. “Eh, when have I ever let something like that beat me?” he winked. Riza just rolled her eyes. “Yeehaw, Riza.”

She snorted again, but this time her eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected it. “I never thought I’d hear those words coming out of your mouth, yet here we are.”

“See? I’d crush it.”

“Sure,” she replied, seeming very convinced. Roy chuckled and noticed as her smile never dropped as a new song kicked up. Instead it grew wider as she observed the dancers

Roy’s smile turned crooked as he observed her. “You really love this stuff, don’t you?”

A wistful smile overtook her face. “It reminds me of my mother.”

Roy placed his beer on the table behind him, then stood, extending his hand. “A dance, darlin’?”

Riza smiled at him and gripped his hand tightly as she stood. “I’d love to.”

He spun her onto the dancefloor and Riza laughed at the unexpected move, sounding so carefree Roy almost stuttered to a stop. Catching himself, he grinned and threw himself into the dance with Riza. He was not as coordinated as her, she was an expert at line dancing, however, Roy quickly picked it up. They laughed together throughout the night and it reminded him of how they were as kids.

Young and carefree.

Happy.


	6. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's beginning to look a lot like christmas - michael buble

**_it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas_ **

**_soon the bells will start_ **

**_and the thing that will make 'em ring is the carol that you sing_ **

**_right within your heart_ **

Riza entered the office with a stack of paperwork in her arms. Her forearms were beginning to cramp from the weight of it all, but she continued without complaint. Placing it on her desk, she sighed quietly in relief. The rest of the team filed in shortly after her arrival, the final person to show face being the Colonel.

A questioning frown formed on her face when she spotted the cardboard drinks holder from a coffee shop in his hand.

“What have you got there?” Havoc asked, amused. Mustang was trying to close the door to his office while juggling the large holder and a file in his arms. Fuery hurried over and did it for him, earning a grateful thank you from the Colonel.

“Festive hot drinks!” He placed the holder on the boy’s desk. “Help yourselves. I got one of each.”

They all stood and approached, voicing their thanks as they picked up and looked at the label of each one. The only one that was left was Riza’s favourite. The boys knew that, so left that for her to take. She was touched.

The drinks were ridiculously overpriced and unnecessary additions to an already expensive holiday season. However, she did have a soft spot for a caramel infused coffee. A few weeks ago – the coffee shops had started to celebrate the holiday season early – she’d voiced her disapproval of Mustang going out and spending a fortune on them all for the drinks, but he’d just smiled and announced her favourite flavour from when she was a teenager, holding it out as an offering.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked, her mouth, sadly, salivating at the thought of drinking it again. Her body ignored her thoughts on the whole thing. She wholly opposed the idea of ramping up the prices for a simple coffee with a splash of caramel in it.

“Because… It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” he sang loudly – not well – with an excited grin on his lips by the time he was finished.

“It’s two weeks away,” Riza deadpanned, which caused him to shrug in response. He never lost his grin.

“So what?” Mustang asked. “There are Christmas songs on the radio, the snow is beginning to fall –”

“The overpriced drinks are in the coffee shops,” Breda added, taking a sip, and pulling the cup away with an impressed look on his face. Apparently, that flavour was a hit.

“Exactly,” Mustang grinned. “It’s definitely beginning to look like Christmas.”

“They’ve been in the shops for ages,” Havoc piped up, regarding the drinks, causing Breda to smack him on the arm with his free hand.

“Stop dampening the spirit,” he snapped.

“I’m not!” Havoc protested.

“Anyway,” Fuery interrupted, eyeing the two superior officers. “Any plans this year, sir?” Fuery asked.

“Visiting my family,” Mustang beamed excitedly. He really did love this holiday. “Which reminds me – any of you want to come? The Madame insists if you don’t have any other plans.”

“Oh, hell yeah,” Breda replied. “I’m not passing up an event like that.”

The rest agreed, then all turned expectantly towards Riza.

“Oh, I don’t know –” she began her polite and automatic response as she began to decline the offer, but she never got very far.

“Oh, come on, Hawkeye,” Fuery begged. She blinked back at him, surprised at his disappointed plea. “Please come.”

“Yeah, Hawkeye, you have to,” Havoc nodded eagerly.

“It certainly wouldn’t be Christmas without you there,” Falman interjected.

“Yeah, we’d be down one team member, and that just wont do,” Breda chipped in with a wink.

Riza stared at them all, her gaze switching between as she clamoured for a response. She certainly didn’t expect that kind of reaction, and she was touched. It was… It felt nice to be missed so badly, even if the day wasn’t even here yet. A warmth spread across her chest, settling in her heart. She hadn’t known these boys long and had kept them somewhat at arm’s length, finding it difficult to trust them completely given her personal experiences, however they understood and took their time with her, offering her all the space she needed. Seeing their expectant looks, she found herself not wanting that space right now. It always felt like she was on the outer circle, looking in. Roy was a natural socialite and they all bonded and clicked immediately. It took Riza longer to be able to open herself up to them like that, and to be perfectly honest, she hadn’t fully yet.

Roy held out the “Christmas Caramel” spiced, or whatever, coffee, extending the offer to her with a grin. “What do you say?”

She didn’t want to be left out anymore.

“Oh,” she replied, a smile taking over her face. She was just going to spend it alone anyway, like usual, so why the hell not? “Sure.” An excited whoop went around the office, and Riza jumped at the sudden rise in volume. Again, that was unexpected. Christmas was two weeks away, but the men were acting as if it was tomorrow. Riza couldn’t stop the smile from spreading all the way across her face. Roy caught her eye and grinned happily at her, before collecting his own spiced hot drink from the cardboard holder and sat down in his chair.

Riza felt excitement flutter in her stomach. Maybe this would be a good one, this year.

No, she knew that with the boys and with Roy, it would be a _great_ one.


	7. peppermint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> peppermint - tiffany young

**_taste my love_ **

**_so good its heaven sent_ **

**_oh, sweet and cool like a peppermint_ **

**_hooked on you like a candy cane_ **

**_sweet and cool like a peppermint_ **

The couple moved together underneath the twinkling fairy lights on the walls of his apartment. They flashed slowly, red and green, as they embraced one another. In the corner of the room, the tree emitted a warm golden glow, the lights reflecting off the glass baubles on the tree. Presents were ready and wrapped underneath it, sitting, waiting, for eager hands to tear at the paper in the morning. The fire crackled, creating a warmth into the room that was nothing compared to the fire the couple were igniting inside one another with their touches alone. The radio was a murmur in the background, playing a song which fitted the moment perfectly.

_“You've been waiting to unwrap me, wrap me.”_

Riza let out a soft indignant sound as Roy pulled away from her. He gazed into her eyes, not breaking eye contact as the song continued.

_“In your arms is where I'm happy, happy. Underneath these lights, so red green, red green_ _.”_

Roy bent his head once more, moving to capture her lips and Riza rose to meet his eagerly. His hands freed her shirt from her skirt with an agonising slowness. He knew that drove her crazy and he was doing it on purpose. In retaliation, her hand snaked lower, lower than his belt, and Roy gasped, pulling away from her slightly. Riza grinned and pecked his lips while his breathing hitched.

It did the trick, because he descended again with a fierceness that hadn’t been present before, his lips crushing against hers. Pleased with the sudden change of pace, she gripped his shoulders tightly as his hands rose higher underneath her shirt, skimming over her skin and making her moan loudly this time.

The radio forgotten, they lost themselves to each other as they staggered through to his bedroom. It was clumsy, but both were too far gone to waste precious time apart to walk the five feet normally.

They were hooked on each other, addicted.

The presents could wait until tomorrow. It was their turn to unwrap each other first in more ways than one. Tis’ the season for love and the season of giving, after all.


	8. i'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last christmas - wham
> 
> part 1 of 3

**_a crowded room, friends with tired eyes_ **

**_i'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice_ **

“I can’t fucking believe she’s here,” Roy muttered as he knocked back his whisky.

“Roy, I’m sorry, man. I had no idea she was coming.” Maes looked worriedly between Roy and the door, where Roy’s ex was being greeted cordially by Gracia. Also known as, Gracia trying to keep her busy and keep her away from Roy.

“No, it’s fine,” Roy stated bitterly, but it wasn’t directed at his friend. “She knew about this and probably came just to piss me off.” Roy took another drink. “Fuck.”

“Look, if you want to go, I won’t blame you –”

“Uncle Roy!” Maes’ daughter, Elicia screeched loudly. Roy cringed while he still faced away from the three-year-old.

“Shit,” Maes muttered out of his daughter’s earshot, because the reason for Roy’s misery probably heard Elicia’s very loud call for his name and he really didn’t want to deal with her. The breakup was still raw, and he’d come here to try and get over her, to forget. “Elicia.” Roy turned and watched as Maes intercepted smoothly, grasping his daughter underneath her arms and lifting her into his arms. “Inside voice, remember honey?”

“Oh, right,” she giggled, not bothered in the slightest. “Uncle Roy,” she grinned, her whole face lighting up. Roy watched it, feeling a pang in his chest. He loved his godchild, but he didn’t have the usual energy to interact with her today. “I haven’t seen you in _forever_ ,” she stressed, a frown appearing on her face. “Where have you been?”

“Uh, Uncle Roy has been away with work, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah. Anyway, can we go play?”

Maes glanced at the back of Roy’s head after he turned to finish the rest of his drink. “Uh –”

“Of course, princess,” Roy smiled, turning to face his adoptive niece with a wide smile. Elicia perked up and grinned, her little arms reaching out so she could be transferred from her father’s arms, to her uncle’s. “What would you like to play with first?”

“My cars!”

Roy smiled to himself, his expression softening. That was the gift he’d got her last year. “Of course, sweetie,” he replied, kissing her cheek. He glanced to his right and saw that his ex was nowhere to be seen. Letting out a relieved sigh, he took a deep breath and walked with Elicia to her bedroom.

Roy opened the door and froze when he saw someone already in the room. The woman was making Elicia’s bed, flattening out the sheet when she turned at the interruption. A surprised _oh_ left her, obviously not expecting to see someone.

“Um, hello,” she greeted. “Hello, Elicia. I’ll get out your hair. Sorry.” Without another word, the woman left in a hurry and closed the door behind her.

“Who was that?” Roy asked, slightly confused. The Hughes’ were rich, but did they really hire a maid?

Elicia’s face lit up. “That’s my new nanny. She helps Mummy and Daddy look after me while they’re working.”

“Oh. Okay,” Roy shrugged. Obviously, they were rich enough to hire a nanny. _That_ was unexpected.

They played together for about an hour and Roy lost himself to it as she dragged out all her toys from the box. He forgot that his ex was downstairs and the mere sight of her still made his chest hurt.

They’d been together for five years, then last Christmas he’d caught her cheating at a Christmas party. The reason she used was bullshit, trying and cover it up and worm her way out of it – underneath the mistletoe was _not_ an excuse for making out with someone else when already in a committed, long-term relationship – but like a lovesick and hurt fool, Roy went back to her. He was a dumbass for making that decision. Things were tense, but they were working it out, until a month ago when she’d done it again and Roy had had enough. He ended it and found out she’d still been cheating with the same guy all along. Talk about kicking a man while he was down.

He'd been a fool. He knew that now. Roy had been desperate, holding onto a hope that was no longer there. It had died last year, and Roy had been too crushed that he’d turned a blind eye to it. After all, a five-year relationship was a hard thing to leave, just like that. He’d probably held on because he was too scared of life without her.

But he was better off now. He knew he was. The pain would go away and he’d be back in the game in no time.

“Elicia?” a voice called softly into the room. Roy turned mid grin, his eyes falling on the woman from before. Her blonde hair was tied back off her face, pinned up in a clip at the back of her head. Her fringe fell across to one side, reminding Roy of a bird’s wing. She looked slightly nervous as she poked her head in the room. Her eyes never met his, but he did notice the warm brown colour they held within them. Her knuckles were white on the edge of the door as she gripped it tightly.

“Yeah?” Elicia asked distractedly.

“Mum and Dad want to see you. It’s time to get something to eat.”

“Okay! Bye, bye, dolls.” Elicia bid them farewell and ran from the room, grinning up at her nanny before heading back to the party across the Hughes’ grand front hallway. Roy stood to thank the woman for letting him know, but she was already gone, the door left slightly ajar.

Roy re-entered the party and immediately spotted the reason for his discomfort. Solaris – his ex – was sitting at the table in the Hughes’ dining room, laughing and chatting with the guests, completely oblivious to the sour mood she’d put her hosts in. She looked up at an inopportune moment – when Roy was still staring at her – and offered him a small smile, a knowing look in her eyes. Before he’d have fallen over himself to get to her while she was wearing that smouldering look, but now it made him sick to his stomach. Just how many men had she aimed that look at while they were together?

No. Fuck her. Roy could do better. _So_ much better. He turned away and ignored it, making his way over to the buffet table. He joined in behind Maes and picked up a plate, shovelling food onto it, but not completely aware of what he was picking up.

“You okay?” Maes asked, breaking Roy out of his reckless shovelling of food. He stared down at the mountain forming on his plate and paused, placing one hand on the table to steady himself.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. He was hurt. Angry, most of all, at her, but still hurt. He didn’t want her here. He knew Solaris had done it just to get to him, or to try and rekindle something between them, but Roy wasn’t desperate now. He wasn’t as stupid as he had been. He wouldn’t do that to himself.

“Take five, okay? Or however long it takes until you feel better. I’ll let Gracia know.”

“No,” Roy stated vehemently. “Just… Give me a few. Then I’ll be back.”

Maes offered him a comforting smile. “No problem, Roy.”

Taking his plate – although he didn’t know why, he’d lost his appetite – Roy left the room. His feet carried him down the hallway and into the kitchen. The room was massive, fitted with state of the art, industrial equipment that was both expensive but made both Maes’ and Gracia’s lives so much easier. Roy was always in awe of their home. He wasn’t sitting in a terrible financial position himself. He was well off, had a good job, and had a decent sized house. However, it was nothing compared to the Hughes’.

Entering the room, Roy pretty much threw his plate on the table.

A quiet, surprised, gasp sounded from somewhere in the room.

Jumping in fright himself, Roy walked around the table, rounding the corner of a protruding wall, and saw Elicia’s nanny sitting on the step in front of the door leading to their back garden. As far as Roy was aware, this door wasn’t the main exit to the house, but more a “servant’s entrance” – one the Hughes’ used to unload groceries into the house because it was quicker from their driveway.

But… Why was she sitting there?

“Hello, again,” he greeted, still recovering from his surprise. At least he’d managed to speak to her this time. He didn’t want the woman to think he was a pompous, arrogant asshole who ignored people.

“Oh, hello,” she greeted, offering him a nod before going back to eating her sandwich.

“Sorry if I gave you a fright,” he apologised sheepishly.

“No, it’s fine, you didn’t.” She was a terrible liar, Roy noticed. He also noticed that she was actively avoiding his gaze, looking like she wanted him to promptly leave, and Roy could take a hint. He wouldn’t be the best company right now anyway.

“Okay. I’ll catch you later.”

He left, grabbing his plate to find a more private spot and froze in the hallway when he spotted Solaris walking towards him.

“Hey, Roy,” she smiled, but he noticed that manipulative look in her eye that had been present last Christmas. Roy said nothing. He couldn’t. Instead, he just felt his jaw clench tightly. Any harder and his teeth would shatter. “Merry Christmas,” she smiled.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked.

She looked slightly taken aback, but Roy didn’t know what for. He made his feelings for her perfectly clear. “We were both invited.”

“No, _I_ was invited. You were my plus one, but you had no right to come here tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re over,” he hissed. “Or have you forgotten that?”

“Maes and Gracia are my friends too,” she stated calmly, playing him, and Roy knew it. He was too furious to care. It was time to vent and if that involved screaming and yelling at this bitch, so she’d get the hint and fuck _off_ , then so be it. He wouldn’t be fooled by her again.

“No, they’re not, especially not now. Not after what you did.”

Solaris sighed, as if talking to a child, and that angered Roy more. “Look, Roy –”

“No,” Roy snarled quietly. He was furious, but still didn’t want others to overhear. The door to the dining room was open, and he could see people walking by it, dangerously close to overhearing them both. “We’re _over_. That means you get the fuck out of my life. I don’t ever want to see you again, Solaris. Stop trying to play me and manipulate me like you did before because I’m having _none_ of it.”

Breathing hard, Roy watched as her mouth fell open then she promptly shut it with a glare. Turning on her heel and flicking her hair over her shoulder, she stalked out towards the front door ahead of them. It slammed loudly and the murmur of conversation from the dining room died down because of the loud disruption. Maes poked his head out to search, then spotted Roy. He nodded once to his friend, then turned and entered the kitchen again.

“Fuck,” he cursed loudly, kicking the heavy wood table in the middle of the room. He ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. A noise from his left caught his attention through the haze of anger. It was the sound of the door opening and closing hurriedly. From the window leading to outside, he could see the woman – Roy realised he never caught her name – hugging her sides in the freezing temperatures as she hurried past the window wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a thin cardigan. His face fell. The thick snow on the ground kicked up as she moved, slipping once or twice in the uneven surface.

_Fuck_. He’d forgot she was there. He hadn’t wanted anyone to overhear that conversation, yet he’d just spoke to her two minutes ago then promptly forgotten all about the nanny. Roy groaned. That made things a hundred times more awkward for her.

Approaching the door, she’d left out of, he considered following and calling her back to apologise. Hand on the handle, he paused. The half-eaten sandwich on the plate was resting on the stone step. Roy shivered, noticing just how cold this area was. Hesitating, he decided to continue with his testing. Sitting on the step, he shivered again when the chill from the door on his back and the stone beneath his ass spread through his body. This couldn’t have been comfortable for her, so why was the woman sitting here?

The mystery plagued his mind for a moment, distracting him from Solaris, which was always welcome. He was slightly worried about Elicia’s nanny. She’d been sitting here all alone in the freezing cold. Maes and Gracia weren’t the kind of people to send “the help” away somewhere quiet to eat their dinner, out of sight and out of mind. So why had she sat in the cold? And then he’d forced her out into the cold. Shit. He needed to apologise to her, and possibly offer her a coffee or a tea to warm her up.

Roy stood and left the kitchen, his plate of food forgotten, and he headed for the only entrance the woman would probably head for – the front door.


	9. i keep my distance but you still catch my eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last christmas - wham
> 
> part 2 of 3

**_i keep my distance_ **

**_but you still catch my eye_ **

Roy hurried through to the front door and caught the woman sneaking quietly inside. She was still hugging one arm around her torso and shivered violently once the door was closed, letting the warmth rush over her cold body.

“Hey,” Roy began, calling her attention to him. She whirled in surprise, mouth parted, her eyes taking on a slightly “ _oh shit_ ” look. “Look, I’m sorry about that –”

“Oh, um, it’s nothing,” she stuttered, but it was more because of the violent shaking of her body as it tried to warm up after being out in the cold in so little clothing. “Don’t worry about it.”

She brushed past him in a rush and he could feel the cold radiating off her. Flakes covered her shoulders and Roy just wanted to brush them off and fix her a warm drink to ease his guilt.

“I didn’t mean for it –”

She shrugged when she turned, seemingly unbothered. “It’s fine.”

“But I made you go out into the cold –”

She stopped for a second, her brow furrowing. “What? No one _made_ me, I did it –”

“Riza!” Elicia cried loudly, rushing out of the dining room to Roy’s left. The woman – now named Riza – promptly forgot about Roy and turned to her charge.

“Yes, Elicia?”

“Can we go and play now? You said we could after dinner!”

“Yes, we can.”

Roy frowned to himself. She still hadn’t eaten anything… And it was all because of him.

“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” Maes murmured to Roy. Slightly startled, Roy turned to face him. He hadn’t even noticed Maes approach, he was lost in his own world as he watched Elicia and Riza interact. Maes looked a mixture between concerned and sympathetic.

“I think she finally got the message.”

Maes nodded. “I think so too, thankfully. You’re too good for her anyway.”

Roy smiled at the compliment and show of support. “Thanks, man.”

“So, I see you’ve met Riza,” Maes smiled, breezing onto the next order of business.

“Yeah. I didn’t know you had a nanny.”

Maes simpered. “I wouldn’t exactly call her a nanny.”

Roy snorted. “What would you call her, then?”

“She’s… Amazing, is what she is.”

“Okay…” Roy stated, shooting Maes an odd look out the side of his eye.

“She really is. She’s incredible with Elicia, can make a delicious meal – rivalling even your cooking abilities, by the way – and she keeps my ass from being late to everything.”

“So… Assistant then?”

Maes nodded. “Yeah. Well, you know I work from home now ever since we had Elicia. Gracia can’t do it because she’s a nurse, so I decided to move to do it full-time this year.” That was news to Roy, however, he hadn’t really been in touch with his friend to discuss matters like that over the past few months. Their conversations consisted more of how much of a bitch Solaris was, and how Maes would set him up with a girl to get his mind off things – an offer Roy politely declined more than once. “So, I needed to hire someone to organise meetings and my workload. Then Elicia took a shining to her, and the two quickly became friends. So, she’s not technically a nanny, but she’s happy to keep Elicia entertained in shifts with me. It’s an unconventional system, but it works.”

That was impressive.

“Hey, Elicia,” Maes called to his daughter. “Why don’t you take Uncle Roy with you and show her the new toys you got for Christmas.” Roy stiffened slightly.

“Oh, yeah!” she exclaimed happily. “Let’s do it!” Elicia grabbed Riza’s hand and marched over to Roy, grasping his hand in her small one, tugging both adults to her bedroom.

Once inside, Elicia let go and turned, shutting the door behind her. Roy glanced over at Riza, unsure about this whole arrangement. It was nothing personal, she just didn’t look entirely happy about it.

“Actually, Elicia –” Roy began, but when she turned with her wide and earnest eyes, Roy found he didn’t have the heart to tell her he needed to go.

“Yes, Uncle Roy?” she asked innocently. Damn. He was wrapped around her little finger.

“I’m… going to go and get a coffee. I’ll be right back.”

As the coffee pot brewed Roy leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest. He didn’t mind playing with Elicia at all, but he didn’t know the woman. She looked slightly uncomfortable with it all, and Roy didn’t want it to continue if that was the case.

But… She _had_ helped him get his mind of his ex… There was something about her eyes –

“I see Maes is playing matchmaker again,” Gracia smiled knowingly as she entered the room. She chuckled to herself, and shook her head, pulling a mug out from the cupboard in front of her.

“Pardon?” Roy asked, completely missing what she’d said. After Gracia repeated it, Roy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You and Riza, of course,” Gracia grinned, thoroughly amused.

“What about us?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

Gracia rolled her eyes heavenward, but still smiled. “Just go for it, Roy. Don’t let what happened hold you back.”

“Me… and _Riza_? No.”

“Why not?” Gracia asked. “She’s a lovely woman, and I think you two would be suited to one another.”

“Well, for one thing, I don’t know her,” he stated as if it was obvious. The coffee machine signalled it was ready and Roy turned, shaking his head at the notion of Maes trying to set him up with a stranger. Roy had to give him credit though, he’d been sneaky this time. Roy hadn’t even noticed it happening right underneath his nose.

“So? When has that ever stopped you?”

“I’m not going out with her,” he stated adamantly.

“Why not?”

“Because –”

Movement caught Roy’s eye and he turned, seeing Riza entering the room. Roy’s stomach dropped. _Oh god, not again_. He hoped she hadn’t overheard.

“I’ll be going now, Mrs Hughes,” Riza stated as she readjusted the bag on her shoulder. Her tone held all formality and none of the casualness it had before when they spoke. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mustang.” The last part seemed forced, and Roy’s stomach tensed when he realised, she was just saying that to be polite.

“Riza –” Gracia stopped when she walked out of the room. Putting her mug down on the counter, Gracia followed her. Roy remained in place, knowing he’d only make things worse. He felt guilty, again. It was nothing personal though!

Although he was brought up not to do it, Roy couldn’t help himself. He had to know if he was the cause of it.

“… and I’d really appreciate _not_ being involved in your personal schemes to try and satisfy the needs of your friends.”

“Riza, I’m so sorry, I –”

“I’m here to do a job, and I would appreciate it if you could respect that,” she added, her tone final. “I’m not someone’s plaything and won’t be used as such.”

“Riza –”

“Goodbye, ma’am. Have a pleasant evening.”


	10. i'll give it to someone special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last christmas - wham
> 
> part 3 of 3

**_this year, to save me from tears_ **

**_i'll give it to someone special_ **

Roy walked up the stairwell. As he ascended higher, the knot in his stomach grew tighter. He still felt guilty about how he’d treated Riza on Christmas a few days ago, so was setting out to make things right. Maes seemed very put out and worried about the whole situation, so Roy offered to get the apology train moving. It was the least he could do. First, he made her flee the room because he’d made it awkward and fought with his ex.

Truth be told, he hadn’t even thought about Solaris since Christmas Day… Another woman with whisky coloured eyes had taken up his focus instead…

What made his actions worse, was he’d forced her outside in the bitter cold and the snow, leaving her shivering and slightly damp when she entered the Hughes’ home again. Then, he’d – loudly – declined the offer to go out with her. It wasn’t personal, but Riza probably wasn’t aware of that.

The thump of music reached him from behind the closed door. Roy took a deep breath and rapped his knuckles against the wood, awaiting her to open the door so he could say his piece. Whether it would be welcome or not, Roy didn’t know, but he had to try.

The door flew open and a woman who wasn’t Riza blinked back at him. “Can I help you?” she asked. So, this was the apartment the music was blaring out of. He didn’t peg Riza the type to listen to blaring pop music, however he didn’t even know her, so Roy wasn’t sure where that thought had come from.

“I’m here to speak to Riza.”

“Riza!” she called loudly over her shoulder into the apartment. The brunette turned on her heel and left, her hair swishing as she moved. Roy watched, left standing awkwardly in the doorway for some time, as the brunette sauntered over to the couch and sat down, folding her feet underneath her. She picked up her game controller then resumed playing, her eyes glued to the screen.

Riza’s curious expression tore Roy away from the brunette. The curious look fell, replaced by something unreadable, and Roy’s stomach tightened again. He didn’t want her to look at him that way, for some reason.

“I apologise for Rebecca’s loud music,” she stated softly, closing the apartment door slightly behind her. It wasn’t closed but closed enough so they’d have some privacy. “How can I help you, Mr. Mustang?” Riza asked. The formality was back and there was a hardness in her eyes now that they were on her territory.

“I came to apologise.”

“What for?” she asked casually. As if she didn’t know.

Roy let out a long breath. “For my behaviour.”

“I’d say it was warranted,” she quipped.

Confused, Roy cocked his head. “How?”

“No offense, but your girlfriend sounds like a bitch.”

Roy blinked at her in shock, then his amusement took over. He laughed. “She is. And don’t worry, she’s not my girlfriend.”

Riza’s friend cleared her throat, behind them, interrupting the moment between them. The door opened, revealing her hard look.

“Are you coming in or what?” she asked Roy.

He opened his mouth to reply, but Riza beat him to it. “He’s just here to visit –”

“You’re letting the heat out,” Rebecca interrupted abruptly.

“We’re just going to talk,” Riza reassured her. There was no harshness in her tone though, just a gentle reassurance, which said something because this girl’s tone was rubbing Roy up the wrong way.

“Well,” Rebecca started slowly, giving Roy a once over. “If he’s the booty call just bring him into the heat.” With such an abrupt statement, Roy was left stunned. Riza’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

Riza glared at her. “He’s not, I can assure you of that,” she muttered.

Rebecca groaned. “So what? Just invite him in if you’re going to talk. I’m hungry and want to eat.”

Riza glared at the back of her friend’s head.

“Ah, ah!” Rebecca called loudly, holding up a hand to say stop as soon as Roy crossed the threshold. Then she pointed upwards with a finger, and Roy’s stomach sunk when he saw the mistletoe above him. Surely not, right? “Smooch tax.”

“Rebecca,” Riza warned.

“Smooch tax?” Roy asked at the same time, muttering it quietly to himself.

“Smooch tax,” Rebecca confirmed. She marched up to Roy and pressed her lips against his, leaving him stunned and making an indignant sound at the back of his throat. “Eh… It was okay,” she shrugged, then walked back to her spot on the couch.

“What…?” Roy asked bewildered.

“Ignore her,” Riza muttered darkly, but there was a nervousness in her voice. Roy wondered why –

Riza began to walk away from him but was stopped by another loud protest from Rebecca. “ _Smooch tax_ ,” Rebecca stressed, shooting Riza, and then Roy, a pointed look.

“ _Fine_ ,” Riza growled, and turned to face Roy. She was nervous and obviously didn’t want to. He opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t need to – the last thing he wanted to do was put her off him even more – but before Roy could, Riza closed in. Her lips were soft against his, and something burst forth inside of him. It coiled in his stomach and rose up into his chest, spreading across it as Riza’s lips still lingered on his. When her hands rose to rest against his chest, Roy wrapped one of his arms around her tightly, suddenly feeling the need to be as close to her as possible, while the other rose to her face, cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand. A whispered moan left her, and it spurred on this sudden hunger inside of him. Unsure of what had brought this on, Roy continued with it. It felt amazing, kissing Riza, and he wasn’t quite sure he ever wanted to stop.

She pulled away, breathless, but didn’t tear her gaze away. Her lips were red and swollen, begging to be kissed again. Roy pecked her lightly on her lips – unable to help himself at the sight – and when he pulled away, there was a quiet noise of protest from her, and Roy couldn’t help it. He smiled. It caused Riza’s face to turn pink, but he didn’t care.

Solaris was so far out of his head now, and Riza had now occupied it wholly. His heart sang at the thought, ready to embrace these new feelings that were stirring inside of him. He’d taken his heart back from Solaris, who had tread and stomped on it under the heel of her shoe. This time, he’d make sure he gave it to someone special, and it looked like it might be Riza.

The skin of her face was soft and smooth underneath his fingers. Unable to stop himself, he swiped his thumb across her cheekbone as if to test it if it was as smooth as it looked. Riza shivered underneath his touch and gripped his bicep harder. She tugged him in close again, initiating a third kiss and who was Roy to deny her of that, especially when it felt so _good_?

His stomach was vaulting inside of him, his heart rejoicing in his chest as he lightly brushed his tongue against her lips. Her mouth opened and they were lost to one another.

Roy didn’t know how long it was until the broke apart. All he knew was Riza’s friend loudly cleared her throat, causing Riza to jerk away from him, her face the colour of a tomato. Roy’s own face heat up, but he wasn’t sure if that was from the kiss or the embarrassment that he'd gotten so carried away with someone else in the room.

But Riza still didn’t pull away from him.

“I knew there was more to it when you were complaining about him,” Rebecca grinned. “The power of the smooch tax,” she added, seemingly very proud of herself, spinning in place to return to her seat on the couch.


	11. 2000 miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2000 miles - the pretenders

**_in these frozen and silent nights_ **

**_sometimes in a dream you appear_ **

Riza jerked awake, rudely. She was in her tent. The wind rapped at the cloth, threatening to rip the door open. Flushed, she placed a hand on her chest to calm her heart rate. Her cheeks turned pink, her body heating up, despite the chill of the desert night. That dream… It had caught her off guard. It felt like she could still feel the touch of his fingers and the way his hands glided across the curves of her body…

She flopped down in defeat, groaning. A hand was placed across her eyes, pressing down hard so she started to see stars. She wanted to block the memories out of her mind but all she could feel was the heat he left inside of her, the tickle of his fingers over the sensitive spots he was already aware of, and the smirk on his face when she mewled because of his attention.

These dreams had been common after he left for the war. She’d wake up, feeling the weight of her loneliness crushing her. It would tear at her chest, leaving her gasping for breath. Dreams like those were supposed make her happy, not leaving her sobbing in the darkness of her decrepit home.

Instead of having him in her bed, he’d left her, travelling what felt like thousands of miles away to fight in a war, to follow a dream… And she missed him. Terribly. The first person who’d shown her care, kindness, and love, had left her. Riza knew in her head that was unfair – he owed her nothing and had his own life – but after her isolated upbringing, she was impressionable and latched onto him incredibly quickly. After he’d managed to break down her walls and earn her trust, she couldn’t tear herself away from him.

But tonight, he wasn’t a thousand miles away, fighting in a far-off war that barely touched her innocent life. He was probably only a hundred feet away, asleep, and probably having a nightmare. After the conversation they’d had the day before with Solf J. Kimblee, there was no way he wasn’t.

Riza wasn’t sure what had brought on this sudden change in her nightly dose of torture dreams. It needed to be controlled. She needed to _stop_. They were bigger things going on than them now, and these feelings had no room in her life.

A monster didn’t deserve to be loved.

Riza felt a sob build in her throat. Turning over, she faced the cloth next to her, closing her eyes and squeezing them tightly shut. Staying like that for some time, Riza felt herself slowly relax and fall back into sleep. When she fell asleep again in the chill of the desert air, Riza opened her eyes in her dream and was greeted by Roy’s smiling face in the warm sunshine of her childhood home once more.


	12. all i want for christmas is you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all i want for christmas is you - mariah carey
> 
> part 2 of 4 | sequel to chapter 2

**_i don't want a lot for christmas_ **

**_there is just one thing i need_ **

“Riza?”

“Yeah?” she asked distractedly, still eyeing the shelves for all the food she needed. After last year’s fiasco of forgetting _cranberries_ of all things – which still turned out to be a very happy accident – she didn’t want to forget again.

Roy said something, but she wasn’t paying attention. “Ah!” she gasped quietly in triumph, her eyes lighting up when she picked up the tin of her favourite fruit.

“Riza.” Hands were placed on her shoulders spinning her around in place. Roy bent his knees slightly, making himself eye level with her, a hint of a smirk on his face. “Calm yourself.”

“I am calm,” she stated, tone indignant. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Roy chuckled. “It’s just food. Relax.”

“I’m perfectly relaxed.”

“Really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully with a grin tugging one side of his lips up. “What did that basket ever do to you?”

Glancing down, Riza spotted her white-knuckle grip on the plastic handle, and how it was held up to her chest as she searched the shelves. She dropped it down, so her arm was relaxed, realising she’d probably been clutching at it like a crazy person.

“I’m perfectly relaxed,” she reiterated.

“Look, I know this year is something completely different for you,” he added, catching up with Riza as she turned and continued her journey to find all the food she needed in the store. “But there’s nothing to worry about –”

“I’m not worried. Why would I be worried?”

Roy shot her a look. “My mother is just coming to visit, she doesn’t expect anything large or fancy.”

“No,” Riza agreed. “But it has to be good. I’m not going to have her eating trash.” Roy laughed loudly, shaking his head fondly at her. “What?” Riza asked, her worry increasing.

“It’s… Your way with words always makes me laugh,” he grinned. Roy looped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “There’s nothing to worry about. I promise. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Oh, yeah, nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Riza never even met the woman before, and now she was flying hundreds of miles up north to spend Christmas with her and Roy. So, nerves were absolutely expected, and her anxiety was through the roof about tomorrow.

Roy kissed her again. “She’ll love you.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked, then cursed herself for letting her real feelings slip out.

“Because I do,” he grinned. “Plus, what’s _not_ to love about you? You’re gorgeous, extremely intelligent, and make me laugh like no one ever has before.” Riza’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “And, you’re a lot like her.”

Riza raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen the photos, Roy. We look nothing alike.”

He laughed again. “No, what I meant was you both don’t take any of my shit. She’ll definitely take a shining to you because of that.”

“I hope so,” she muttered under her breath. Letting it go for now, Roy just shook his head fondly and continued walking with her, picking out the food they needed for Christmas dinner tomorrow.

Once home, Riza let Hayate in and he ran ahead of them, leaving wet pawprints on the wooden flooring of her home.

“Here, let me,” Roy offered. He took the bags off Riza’s hands and jerked his head towards the living room. “You put the fire on and get yourself warmed up.”

“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Riza quipped, but there was just amusement behind her tone. He’d only just moved in with her two months ago. They clicked instantly after last year’s Christmas together, and then spent the rest of the holiday period together, not straying far from the warmth of their homes, or each other.

Where before they’d barely managed to see each other once a year, everything had just fallen into place. She loved him with her whole heart, and the last year had been the best of her life. She couldn’t imagine her life without Roy in it.

Roy grinned. “Only because it’s you.”

“I don’t know if that’s a compliment, or not.”

“Always a compliment, my queen!” he called over his shoulder, taking the bags into her kitchen straight ahead of her. Roy smirked and embraced the fluttering feeling in her stomach before turning right and entering her living room. The fire was on and roaring just as Roy entered, bringing her a bottle of beer.

“We should get started on –” Riza began but was interrupted.

“Beer first.”

“But –”

“Beer first,” Roy repeated, a grin on his face. “Alcohol is needed before we even think about tackling that monster feast for tomorrow.”

She saw his logic and sat back on the couch, taking her beer in her hands eagerly. Accepting it, they clinked their bottles together and took a long swig. Riza would need more than one of these to get her through tomorrow morning.

After some time, Roy stood up from his seat, patting her knee as he did so. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Bring back more beer,” Riza replied, eyeing the dribble in the bottom of her bottle, taking a swig to finish it off. “I think I’ll need more than just this one.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Roy quipped, giving a quick salute as he walked away from her.

He seemed to be away for a while, and when he did return, Riza hadn’t looked up from playing with Hayate. “If I’d known you’d take that long, I’d have gotten my own beer –”

Riza froze.

Roy was down on one knee at the other end of the couch with the goofiest grin on his face.

“What is this?” she asked, blinking, because she didn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Riza,” he stated, the silly grin never leaving his face. “I love you, and this last year has been the best year of my life. I was disappointed before when we couldn’t meet up when we tried,” he chuckled. “But I realise now that if we were ever to part, or go back to the way we were before, I’d hate it. I don’t want to live my life without you in it.

“So, Riza Hawkeye, will you marry me?”

She blinked. Hayate barked happily, wagging his tail at Roy.

“ _Yes_.” She surged forward and into his open arms, embracing him tightly as he laughed and hugged her close.

“Yes,” Riza repeated, pulling back. Roy bent his head and pressed his lips against hers. Riza’s hands rose up to his hair, tangling in his black tresses and taking hold. She kissed him fiercely back, her heart soaring with love for this man.

Once they’d come down from their high and finished with all the hugging, kissing, and happy crying, the happy couple found themselves on Riza’s couch. She was sitting on his lap, their heads resting together as they both looked at Riza’s ring as it caught the soft light of the fire in the small diamond.

“Was there any particular reason you decided to choose tonight?” Riza asked, examining the ring on her finger. It felt odd to wear jewellery after not doing it for so long, but a good weird. It was a feeling she’d be more than happy to get used to. “Were you trying to butter up your mother so now she has no choice but to like me?”

Roy laughed, tipping his head back. “I know for a fact that she already does,” he grinned. “But no, that wasn’t the reason it was specifically tonight.”

“Why then?” she asked, curious.

“You never like a mystery, do you?” he asked. Riza stuck her tongue out at him. He gave her a quick peck before sitting back in his seat, pulling Riza with him so she was resting against his shoulder. “I chose tonight, because all I want for Christmas this year, is you.”

Riza’s gaze flicked up to his face, to see if he was joking or not, but his face was deadly serious. A soft smile spread across his face. Riza pressed her lips against his.

“Me too,” she whispered, snuggling back into his embrace, the thought of cooking Christmas dinner for tomorrow completely forgotten.


	13. i wish it could be christmas every day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wish it could be christmas every day - wizzard
> 
> part 3 of 4 | sequel to chapter 2

**_when we're skating in the park_ **

**_if the snow cloud makes it dark_ **

**_then your rosy cheeks are gonna light my merry way_ **

“There we go,” Riza smiled, slowly letting go of Roy’s hands as he continued to move towards her for a change, rather than falling on his ass. He hesitated, remaining perfectly still with his upper body tilted forward and his hands outstretched in front of him. He looked slightly terrified that he would fall over if he moved a muscle, but he was easily gliding around the ice. Riza never left his side and didn’t stray far. She remained in reaching distance in case she needed to steady him in the middle of the rink.

“I’m doing it,” he stated in wonder. His face broke out into a grin and he glanced up at Riza. He gained some confidence, because he managed to slowly straighten his spine and stand upright.

“Yay,” she cried happily with a laugh. Riza skated away with a burst of energy, spinning in place and skated backwards, so she was now facing her fiancé. She broke out into a grin. That felt good to say.

They’d been engaged three days, but it felt like her whole life. It felt the same way when they’d finally gotten together after a year of missed plans. Riza couldn’t believe they hadn’t done it sooner.

True to his word, Chris Mustang liked Riza. Her nerves had been uncontrollable on the day – she’d left the room to vomit five minutes before Roy’s mother arrived – but she’d gotten used to and found the woman’s humour extremely amusing. Like Roy said, Riza had nothing to worry about. They clicked, just like she had with her son.

So, to celebrate their engagement and the holiday period, they’d travelled into the city – two hours away – and had a _wonderful_ day together.

After a rather expensive lunch – Roy’s treat, one where he wouldn’t let her see the bill, but Riza _knew_ it was expensive because the prices weren’t even on the menu – they’d walked around the city park and found a Christmas market and an ice rink. Riza was driving them both home but Roy needed a glass of mulled cider before he could work up the courage to step onto the ice rink, as he’d never done skated before.

Now, he was skating. He’d fallen three times, but now he’d gotten the hang of it.

Roy wobbled and reached out to try and steady himself. Riza grabbed him quickly, and his arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her in near. They almost toppled over, but Riza managed to steady them both. She laughed after the initial panic and lifted her arms to grip his torso through all his layers, keeping him against her.

“Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly.

“It’s okay,” she grinned.

“I think I’ve had enough skating for one night. Or one lifetime.” The last comment was added as a mutter, but Riza still smiled, amused, when she caught it.

“Come on, then,” Riza smirked. “Let’s get off the ice.”

Riza escorted him off. He looked incredibly adorable with a grim look of concentration on his face as he gripped her hand like a vice. Roy only eased up when they were safely on solid ground. He promptly sat himself down, right outside the entrance to the rink, and removed his skates. His toes waggled inside the fluffy socks Riza had gotten him for Christmas – they had small dogs all over them – and he padded over to the seating area where Riza had elected to remove her ice skates.

“Thank you for that,” he stated, gripping her hand tightly and swinging it between them as they walked uphill from the ice rink in the park. Up the hill was the market, so they were heading back to have a peruse of the stalls and goods while also getting something to eat. Riza was desperate for some churros after her dinner, while Roy was particularly looking for some roasted chestnuts.

“It’s not a problem, you know that,” she smiled. Riza leaned over to press a kiss to him cheek. Roy removed his hand from hers and moved it to wrap around her back, drawing her even closer as they walked.

“I know, but I’ve never skated before and, to be perfectly honest, you’re probably the only person I’d trust to teach me.”

Riza was honoured, and her cheeks turned pink at the compliment. She beamed at him, returning his praise with a quick kiss of her own. “I’d never let you fall.”

“You did,” he quipped. “Three times,” he deadpanned.

“That was all you, and you know it,” she grinned.

Roy laughed and accepted his failures. “ _Okay_ ,” he sighed dramatically. “I’ll let you off with that one.”

“I wasn’t even on the rink, so yes you will,” she laughed. She’d still been putting her skates on when her enthusiastic and eager fiancé took to the ice himself.

“I don’t think I’m very useful in the cold.”

“You’re perfect in the cold. If you weren’t, how would you have survived so long living where we do?”

“Sheer dumb luck?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say, but…” She giggled when he scowled at her. “No, you’re perfect in _every_ weather. You’re my knight in shining armour.”

Roy stopped and tugged her backwards. Riza knew what was coming, and spun into his arms, bumping against his chest. He pressed his lips against hers hard and Riza smiled against him.

“I’m glad,” he smirked.

Dinner came in the form of a hotdog for Roy and a burger for Riza. They shared a portion of fries together, one side lathered in ketchup for Roy, the other with just a sprinkle of salt for Riza. He managed to snag a seat from a couple who were just leaving, so they were currently sitting on a bench and people watching as they ate their food, cackling away as they joked with one another. At one point, Roy had to spit out his hot dog otherwise he’d choke, much to the disgust of a stuck-up elderly woman next to them, but amusement of her husband. He offered them a goofy grin as they walked away, the man evening wishing them a merry Christmas, much to the wife’s chagrin.

“Oh, come on, Mary,” he exclaimed. “They’re young! They’re in love! Let them have their fun,” he scolded. Riza and Roy just grinned at each other, going back to fighting over the last fry in the cardboard food box.

“Shall we start heading back?” Roy asked. “I don’t want you driving back too late.” He glanced up and Riza did the same, noticing the snow beginning to fall lightly. Following the path of one flake, he watched as it landed on the tip of Riza’s nose. She flinched as others hit her skin at the same time, and Roy smiled just from watching her. She was so beautiful and completely adorable looking up at the falling flakes, her face a picture of wonder. He swiped at the flake on her nose, then on her cheek, causing her to turn to look at him. Tilting his head, Roy closed the distance and kissed her. He couldn’t believe how truly lucky he was to have met her… and then _eventually_ got together with her.

That whole year he’d tried, but obviously it wasn’t meant to be, so he’d given up on the hope, but opted just to try and maintain a friendship with Riza at least. That Christmas meeting last year was by complete chance, and Roy decided he was going to take a chance and not let chance or coincidence get in the way of them. If she said no, then that was it, but he couldn’t not try that time. One last chance effort.

It just so happened it paid off wonderfully.

“We can, if you want?” Riza replied.

Roy nodded. “Then we can snuggle under some blankets next to the fire and watch some trashy leftover hallmark films?”

“Sounds _perfect_.”

The two-hour drive home was quick work as they sang along very loudly to the songs on the radio. The roads were dark, and it became more difficult to see as they got closer to home. The snow was falling thick and fast, so the singing died down for the moment as Riza navigated her pick up truck up the mountain.

They made it home, safe and sound.

True to his suggestion, Roy entered the living room while Riza was starting the fire with his arms full of blankets. Not even a handful, he was laden with them. Apparently, they were both very fond of fluffy throws up here in the cold mountains, and after moving in, their collection doubled in size, so there was no shortage. He made little nest for the three of them on the couch. Hayate was more than eager to join their snugglefest.

“I wish it could be Christmas every day,” he murmured in her ear as the television droned on in the background, threatening to lull Riza to sleep. She was lying against his chest with Roy’s arms hooked over her shoulders. His hands rested just below her chest, and Riza had hooked her hands in his, her thumbs stroking over the backs of his hands.

“Hm? Really?” she yawned. “If it was Christmas every day then it would lose its magic.”

“True,” Roy agreed, repositioning his arms around her so he held her tighter. “But if it was Christmas every day, I could live through this feeling forever.”

Riza smiled and turned her head to look up at him. “Me too.”

“These past few days have been perfect, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds, but… If I could bottle this feeling forever, I would.”

Riza kissed the underside of his jaw. “It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

Roy chuckled. “This time last year we were in a similar situation.”

“Except we weren’t in here,” Riza added with a smile.

“No, we weren’t,” Riza laughed and kissed the part of his arm that she could reach. “Wanna go back to that?” he asked with a suggestive grin, waggling his eyebrows.

“Maybe later.” Roy raised an eyebrow. “Well, definitely later,” she added with a grin. “For now… Like you said, I just want to live in this moment forever. Let it be Christmas every day, I don’t care. Not when it feels this good.”


	14. rockin' around the christmas tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rockin' around the christmas tree - brenda lee
> 
> part 4 of 4 | sequel to chapter 2

**_rockin' around the christmas tree_ **

**_have a happy holiday_ **

**_everyone dancin' merrily_ **

**_in the new old-fashioned way_ **

“It’s weird spending Christmas in such a lively place,” Riza murmured in Roy’s ear as they made their way through Chris Mustangs very large home to get to the kitchen. She had to sidestep a few very rowdy children on the way there. “A good weird, though,” she reassured him.

That was what baffled her the most. There were children _everywhere_. Far more than seemed appropriate for the ratio of adults, but Riza couldn’t be sure. They were dashing around the room, far less concerned about the adults holding drinks in their hands than they should have been. She’d been bumped twice already, but only just managed to salvage the alcohol in her glass.

“I’m glad it’s a good weird,” Roy chuckled, taking her hand and tugging her quickly in the surprisingly quiet kitchen. All the food had been moved through to Chris’ dining room, which was almost the same size as Riza’s house. The woman was rich as hell, and it showed in her house. She’d made a name for herself in her line of work – Riza still wasn’t entirely sure what exactly that _was_ , and at this point, she was too afraid to ask – and had raked in the money. The house wasn’t filled with useless junk that most rich people houses seemed to have in the movies. It was decorated in a way that emitted warmth and comfort – there wasn’t a white marble or tiles floor in sight. It reminded Riza of her own cosy cabin up in the mountains.

“Family is a big thing with my mother,” Roy revealed. “Everyone is here for the holidays, and if they can’t make it for whatever reason, my mother will fix that some way or another.” Roy paused, his face turning grim. “I don’t even want to know what her methods are.”

“To be honest,” Riza replied, glancing over her shoulder to see if her mother-in-law was in earshot. “Neither do I.” The pair shared a quiet laugh together before the woman in question entered her own kitchen.

“There’s far too much hilarity in here,” she commented, but there was a smile on her face. “Riza,” she welcomed, opening her arms. Roy had often commented on how that behaviour was strange for his mother, but Riza wouldn’t complain. He said it must be because she likes Riza so much, which left her feeling so relieved. The last thing she needed was to be on Chris Mustang’s bad side. “Welcome. How have you been?” Chris asked as she hugged her.

“I’ve been well.”

“Keeping this one out of trouble, I hope?” Chris jerked her head towards Roy beside her.

“Of course,” she grinned. “Always.” Roy huffed beside her and her amusement only grew. The teasing between mother and son was always entertaining.

“Good. I look forward to hearing from you again, soon.” Her words were cryptic, and she shot them both a pointed look before she walked away.

“What was that about?” Riza asked, turning to face Roy.

“You don’t think… No.” He shook his head.

“Don’t think what?”

“You don’t think she… _knows_ , do you?”

Riza felt her stomach drop. “Did you say anything to her?” Her accusation was light, but it was still there. Roy had visited his family a few weeks ago and called Riza, drunk. She knew how loose his tongue could get when in the company of his family and while drunk, so she had to ask the question on whether he’d let it slip or not.

“No! I never said a word. I was drunk, yeah, but I remember everything. I definitely never brought it up. In fact, I made a special point _not_ to venture anywhere near the topic.”

Riza wracked her brain, thinking back on the conversations she’d had with members of the family. “I never brought it up either.”

“Over the years I’ve discovered she just has a way of _knowing_ things,” Roy revealed, his mouth pressing into a thin line.

“That’s spooky.”

“Very spooky. Very inconvenient while growing up too.”

Riza snorted. “Yeah, because you were such a hooligan, you had to lie to your mother about where you’d been all night.”

“I did!” he responded indignantly. Then, Roy cast his eyes downwards. “But only because we spent all night at the arcade.” Riza snorted, giggling as she pictured a furious Chris dragging him by his ear back home – that was absolutely something she would have done – because Roy hadn’t called to say he’d be at the arcade for hours.

“You’re such a dork,” Riza grinned, bumping his shoulder with hers. When he lifted his head, she was glad to see his grin matched hers. “Come on.” Riza gripped his hand and lifted her glass of fruit juice. “Let’s go back to the party.”

They were both dragged onto the dance floor – yep, Chris even had room for a dance floor in her living room – and they both giggled, goofed around, and had a great time together.

“Cheese!” someone called, and Riza looped her arms around Roy’s neck, smiling for the camera. One of his arms wrapped around her back, while the other was placed on her stomach.

“Aw, that’s a lovely one guys!” Roy’s sister, Vanessa, crooned as she looked at her phone. Spinning it around, they bother got a look at it and Riza had to agree, it was a lovely photo of them both.

“Can you send me it?” Roy asked before Riza could, already whipping out his own phone.

“Yeah, of course!”

Riza meandered back into the kitchen for a breather and to cool off when she saw Chris at the fridge. Before she could open her mouth, Chris bet her to it.

“So, how far along are you?” she asked casually, as if she was talking about the weather. Riza had no reply, she just stood there and blinked at her mother-in-law, mouth parted slightly in shock. “Oh, come on. It’s obvious.”

“It is?” Riza asked, baffled. She had no idea how.

“You’re not drinking even though you’re not driving anywhere tonight. You two lovebirds have acted even more in love, which I didn’t think was possible, but I’m pleased to see you both so happy. And, after that little dance and photoshoot, Roy put his hand over your stomach rather protectively. That sealed it for me,” she shrugged.

This woman… It was both eery and impressive at the same time.

“Four months,” Riza smiled, placing her hand over her tiny bump. “We wanted to tell you sooner, but both wanted to be here to do it.”

Chris waved away her apology. “Don’t worry about that,” she reassured Riza, pulling her into a crushing hug. Riza was enveloped by the smell of perfume and cigarette smoke. The combination made her choke in the beginning, but now it was a comfort. Chris Mustang was the closest person Riza had to a mother figure, so the smell meant family and home. “Congratulations, Riza. I can’t wait to meet my grandchild.”

Riza gripped her tighter, feeling tears springing to her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Roy asked, his grin still on his face, cheeks pink from the dancing and excitement twinkling in his eyes. It fizzled out quickly though, because Chris shot him The Look. His expression turned from “ _yay!_ ” to “ _oh shit, what have I done?_ ” in the span of a second.

Chris pulled away and winked subtly at Riza before turning her attention to her son. “Just when were you going to tell me about my grandchild?” she asked, hands on her hips.

“I _knew_ you knew about it!” he exclaimed. “Damn, and we wanted it to be a surprise.”

“It is a surprise. It’s a massive surprise.” Chris stopped, and both were horrified to see her face screwing up as tears collected in her eyes. Roy stared at her, alarmed, before rushing forward to comfort his mother. “I’m going to be a grandmother,” she whispered before pulling Roy in for a fierce hug. Over Chris’ shoulder, Riza watched as he grimaced at the pressure on his spine, but his arms wrapped around his mother’s frame regardless. Riza beamed at him, pleased that they’d managed to get _this_ kind of reaction from her.

To be honest, both had no idea how Chris would react to the news they were pregnant. Riza knew she’d be happy, but the woman had a funny way of showing happiness. Riza thought there might be a quick congratulations, a quick hug, then move on. It made her happy to have made Chris so happy like _this_.

Roy grinned back at her, then grimaced again as his mother squeezed him tightly in her hug.

“Yeah, you’re going to be a grandmother,” he stated, his eyes finding Riza’s once more. They were filled with so much love and excitement for the future, that Riza almost cried there herself.

She couldn’t wait.


	15. i saw mommy kissing santa claus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i saw mommy kissing santa claus - jimmy boyd

**_i saw mommy kissing santa claus_ **

**_uuderneath the mistletoe last night_ **

**_she didn't see me creep_ **

**_down the stairs to have a peep_ **

**_she thought that i was tucked up_ **

**_in my bedroom, fast asleep_ **

Mia Mustang frowned from her hiding place on the staircase. She peeked through the barrier, seeing Mum moving about the living room. She was picking things up and moving them, but Mia couldn’t see what it was because of the angle she was at, and the couch perfectly placed to hide whatever it was from view.

Mummy smiled and said something to someone, but it was too quiet for Mia to make out, and Mia couldn’t see who she was talking to either.

Then, the seven-year-old froze. That… That… That was _Santa_ Mum was talking to! He walked into view and said something to her, making her laugh again. It was louder than before, and Mia noticed how happy she looked in that moment. Handing Mum a present, Santa leaned forward and kissed her. Mia stopped.

Santa… Santa couldn’t kiss Mummy. Only Daddy could kiss Mummy like that! What was Santa doing? Mum wrapped her arms around Santa’s neck and kissed him back happily.

Dad… Poor Daddy. Mummy could only kiss him. Why was she kissing Santa?

“Mia?” a whispered voice called to her. She jumped on the steps, tears jumping up in her eyes. The threatened to fall over and down her cheeks. How could Mum do something like that to Dad? Just because he was away with work didn’t mean she could kiss Santa!

She whirled in place, her heart racing because she was upset and got a fright.

“Mia, what are you doing?” James asked her from the top of the stairs. He was standing on the top step, towering over her as she was seated halfway down. Fearing she was in trouble for being up, Mia’s chest began to heave quietly, building in volume as her crying became incontrollable. James hurried down quietly and scooped her up. Mia gripped his t-shirt tightly as he hugged her close, his hand spread wide across her back as he hurried back upstairs again. Mia’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut, so she didn’t notice they were going into James’ room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. “Why are you crying?”

“I – I –”

“Take your time,” he murmured, smoothing down her hair.

“I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus!” she cried out, her breathing hitching as she tried to catch her breath. The childish name burst forth from her trembling lips unintentionally. She was trying to be more grown up like her friends at school, so tried not to say Mummy or Daddy anymore. It was hard because in her head she switched backwards and forwards, but she was really trying.

Mia pulled back to look up at James. His lips were pressed into a thin line, which smoothed out and he laughed quietly to himself. “It’s not funny!” she cried, becoming more upset. “How could Mummy do that to Daddy?” she sobbed.

“Mia, it’s okay,” James soothed.

“It’s not! Mum is only supposed to kiss Daddy! Not Santa!”

James laughed again and Mia pulled away, shocked. She struggled to get out of his hold, but her big brother was too strong.

“Mia, listen to me,” he commanded softly. “It’s all right. Santa is… allowed to do that.” When he finished, he had a frown on his face.

“What?” she asked, confused.

James shook his head. “I mean, sometimes when people say thank you, they kiss each other. It’s not a big deal. I kiss you, but Jessica is my girlfriend, isn’t she?” Mia hesitated, then nodded. “So, it’s okay. We’re allowed to kiss people to say thank you.”

Her brow furrowed as she thought through what James said. He was right. They all gave her a quick kiss sometimes to say thank you. But that was on the cheek. Mum had kissed Santa on the _lips_.

She had to tell Daddy.

“Okay,” she said quietly. It would have to be a secret for now. She’d wait until he got home from work. Her heart sank when she remembered he wouldn’t be home for Christmas. It didn’t feel right not having him here.

But that didn’t mean Mum could do that to Dad when he wasn’t here.

Her mind was made up.

* * *

Riza looked up as James breezed into the room, his teeth on show, jaw clenched, and expression in a grimace.

“We have a situation,” he whispered urgently, pulling her into the kitchen.

“What?” she asked, her stomach dropping. Her thoughts instantly flashed to Mia, expecting something horrible to have happened.

“Hey,” Roy greeted over his shoulder, not fully paying attention as he continued stirring the cookie dough mixture. He wouldn’t have been able to see James properly anyway, not with all the fake white hair sticking outwards from his face. The Santa suit was great, but it was cheap, and the white hair just didn’t want to behave on the beard.

“James, what is it?” Riza asked.

“Mia saw you both in the living room.”

Riza’s shoulders sagged. “Is that all?” she asked in relief.

James grimaced again. “Well, yes. But she saw you both. As in, Mummy and Santa, not Mummy and Daddy.”

Riza froze.

“So?” Roy asked.

“ _So_ , she saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus.”

“Isn’t that a song?” Roy asked after a beat.

Riza groaned. “She saw us?” she asked, looking back at James, who nodded to confirm.

“I’ve never known someone to be so excitable on Christmas,” Roy muttered. “Even growing up, the kids my aunt adopted were out like a light by nine o’clock on Christmas Eve. Our little tyke snoops on the stairs instead.”

“I think every kid does that.”

“I bet you didn’t,” Roy grinned. “You were always exhausted by bed-time.”

“I’ve done my fair share of Christmas snooping, don’t you worry,” James quipped.

“Guys,” Riza hissed, drawing their attention back to the issue at hand. “Focus.”

“On what?” Roy chuckled. “So, she saw us together. Big deal.”

“ _No_ ,” James stressed. “She thinks Mummy has been cheating on Daddy with Santa Claus, while Daddy is away with work over Christmas.”

Roy’s hands slowly stopped from his stirring. “Oh.”

“Oh, is right,” Riza added.

“Oh boy,” Roy added, placing down his utensil. He discarded the Santa hat and placed it on the counter, scratching his chin after removing with itchy beard.

“What do we do?” Riza asked. She sounded genuinely worried about it.

Roy was silent as the two conversed back and forth, bouncing ideas off one another, but not one of them was decent or plausible enough. Finally, Roy entered the conversation.

“I might have an idea…” he stated slowly, a grin spreading across his face.

“What?” Riza asked, looking at him expectantly.

Roy grinned at her. “You’ll find out tomorrow,” he winked, turning back to stirring the dough to make Christmas cookies.

* * *

“Daddy?” Mia called, entering their kitchen.

“Yes, bear?” He still beamed when he thought of her reaction when she’d seen he was home for Christmas that morning. James had recorded it on his phone, and Roy wanted to watch that forever. She had no idea he’d be coming home early from work and would see her on Christmas Day, rather than miss it, like was originally planned. Roy fought tooth and nail to be home in time for Christmas.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Of course, you can. You know that already,” he reassured her. Roy scooped her up and placed her on the kitchen counter as he continued to stir the many pots on the top of the hobs.

Mia bit her lip and looked over his shoulder, into the living room where Riza and James were playing a video game against each other very loudly. Riza was losing, so was trying to sabotage James to try win at least one game.

“What is it, bear?” he asked softly, noting her hesitation.

Then, she leaned in a lot closer than Roy thought she would and answered with her voice low. “I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus last night,” she whispered. Roy noted her nervous tone, the way she swallowed, and the way her eyes welled up with tears. She was truly worried about it. Poor kid.

“It’s okay, Mia,” Roy reassured her, his voice even.

She looked scandalised. “No, it’s _not_ ,” she demanded. Her tears were building again, on the cusp of spilling over.

“Mia.” He stated her name gently, but firmly, meeting her eyes square on. “It’s okay.”

“How?” she whispered. Her voice was thick with tears.

Roy made a show of looking around him, before edging closer to her. “Can you keep a secret?”

She was confused, but she nodded then wiped at her eyes to dry them.

“I’m not mad,” he stated calmly. “Because I _am_ Santa Claus,” he whispered.

There was a beat of silence, then another as Mia just stared at him. Then, her eyes widened, her mouth parting as she silently gasped in shock.

“Ah!” Roy barked softly. “Remember, it’s a secret. Only Mummy knows. Now, you do too. That’s why Santa was kissing Mummy. I was saying thank you for helping me with all your presents before I went to the next house.”

“ _No way_ ,” Mia gasped, eyes threatening to bulge out of her head.

“Yes way,” Roy winked.

“My Daddy is Santa,” she whispered in wonder.

“But! It’s a secret. Can I trust it with you?” he asked, his tone serious.

Mia nodded her head vigorously. “Yes,” she stated solemnly.

“That’s my girl. Now, off you go.”

She nodded with a grin and ran through to the living room. Roy watched her go, and noted she headed straight to Riza for a hug. Riza welcomed it wholly and spun her around, glancing at Roy when she finally faced him again. He made an “ok” motion with his thumb and forefinger, winking at Riza, before returning to cooking Christmas dinner.


	16. stay another day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stay another day - east 17
> 
> part 1 of 2 | sequel is chapter 24

**_baby if you've got to go away_ **

**_i don't think_ **

**_i can take the pain_ **

**_won't you stay another day_ **

“I’ll be on my way, Riza,” Roy stated. His tone was polite and formal, but looking up into his eyes, Riza could see how pained they were. She understood why he was leaving, she knew why, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

At the thought of it, her heart constricted painfully in her chest. He couldn’t go. If Roy did, she’d be left alone with _him_. She didn’t know if she’d be strong enough to go back into that quiet isolation again. Even if it was only for a few weeks.

It may have been dramatic, because Roy was only going back to Central to celebrate Christmas with his family, but… He was the only company she had in this house. None of her school friends – not that there were many of them anyway – ever dared to stray close to her house, and Riza didn’t blame them.

Roy though… He stood up for her. He cheered her up when she was feeling down and helped her around the house. It was a welcome feeling. She felt wanted and needed when she was with him. She loved the company.

Roy offered her a strained smile, the crouched to pick up his suitcase. He was halfway into turning before he paused, catching movement out the corner of his eye. Riza rushed towards him, throwing her arms around his midsection. She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the smell of him for one last time.

“Please don’t go,” she whispered before she could help herself. Riza cringed, hating how pathetic she sounded however she didn’t mind showing these feelings in front of Roy. He was the only person in the world she trusted, so it never bothered her.

“Riza –”

“Please,” she begged, her tone louder. She craned her neck up at him, her eyes wide and filling with tears. “I don’t think I can stay here with him on my own again,” she admitted fearfully. It coiled inside her chest, and she could hear the shuffling of her father’s feet on the worn floorboards, see the dead look in his eyes as he completely glazed over her. She felt worthless in this home without Roy in it. Riza didn’t want to go back to that.

Roy looked down at her in sympathy. She knew it was hopeless, but she had to ask. She couldn’t let him leave without asking him.

She had to try and save herself.

“Would…” Roy trailed off, his gaze lifting towards the still open door of her home. “Would you like to come with me? To Central?” he asked. Riza froze, her mouth parting in shock. That was not the reply she expected. Roy swallowed. “My mother did extend the invitation to you, if you desire it.”

“Yes,” she replied instantly. Her eyes were wide with surprise and anticipation. Would… Could she finally be free of him?

“Oh.” Roy stated. “Oh, okay.” He grinned at her, excitement filling his eyes. “I…” His cheeks turned slightly pink. “I didn’t realise you wanted to come so badly.”

“Of course, I do,” she replied innocently, then her eyes widened slightly as she realised what she’d just said. Riza relinquished her hold on her father’s student and stepped back, pressing her hands tightly against her sides. She was slightly embarrassed about her outburst but didn’t regret it. It was the truth, after all. The only thing she regretted was letting Roy know her true feelings. Those were her to deal with. She didn’t need to burden him with those silly things while he needed to focus on his alchemy.

She sounded like her father.

“You never said.” Roy’s voice was soft and Riza was caught in his concerned gaze as she lifted her eyes to meet his. “You…” Roy swallowed. “You never told me it was this bad.”

Riza looked away, her cheeks turning pinker and shame building inside of her. That wasn’t what she’d intended to do – let on just how much she hated living here. It also made her feel terrible. Despite feeling unhappy here, her father was giving her an education and was providing her with money so she could buy food for meals every day.

“You know what he’s like,” she muttered underneath her breath.

Suddenly arms enveloped her in a cocoon. “Of course, I do,” Roy whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“It’s for me to worry about, not you,” she whispered, burying her face in his chest again. Her arms rose from being limp by her sides to grip his shirt tightly in her fists.

“I care about you, Riza,” Roy whispered softly, and she froze. “So, it’s my job to worry about it.”

She stared up at him, unbelieving. Then, tears sprang to her eyes. They threatened to fall and that was when Roy placed a hand on the back of her head, drawing her in close to his chest again. This time, Riza lifted her hands and gripped his shirt tightly, trying to get as close to her only source of comfort as possible.

“If I’d known, I’d have invited you sooner,” he murmured. His hand moved through her short hair and it made her shiver every time his fingers brushed against the skin of her neck. “Would you like to come?” he asked a final time.

Riza nodded. “Please.”

He smiled down at her. “Let’s go then,” he murmured, gripping her hand as they walked back into her home to pack.

She didn’t care what her father said, she was going. She didn’t even know if he would care she was leaving, or if he’d even notice.

Riza didn’t care about him anymore.


	17. step into christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> step into christmas - elton john

**_welcome to my christmas song_ **

**_i'd like to thank you for the year_ **

“Hey, Breda,” Roy greeted with a grin, opening his arms for his colleague. Breda hugged him back, patting his back twice with quite some effort. “Thanks for coming.”

“No problem, boss,” he grinned, stepping into Roy’s apartment where the main party was being held. His apartment wasn’t large, but he had the nearest and dearest members of his team here tonight to celebrate before Christmas. One last blowout before the new year, as a thank you for Roy for all their hard work and the loyalty they’d shown him throughout the year.

Roy was just about to close the door when a hand shot out, stopping it from closing.

“Hawkeye,” he grinned. His eyes gave her a once over unintentionally and was very appreciative of the red dress she wore tonight. Her makeup was minimal, but enough to make her eyes and her lips pop… Oh dear, those lips would be the death of him tonight. It was a good thing his back was to the rest of the party, because no one could see his antics and suspect anything.

“Hello, sir,” she greeted, stepping inside. She offered him a bottle of wine. “For the host tonight.”

“Thank you,” he beamed. “You shouldn’t have. And no “sir” tonight, please. We’re off the clock.”

“Of course, Mustang,” she smiled.

Before Riza could take another step inside, Hughes appeared from nowhere, popping his head over Roy’s shoulder. “Mistletoe!” Hughes declared, pointing above them both. Roy watched carefully as Riza rolled her eyes and moved to step away, out of habit. “Ah, ah!” Hughes barked, stopping her in place. “You have to!”

“Hughes –” Riza started to protest.

“No buts! You must. ‘Tis tradition! Come on,” he whined. “Get into the Christmas spirit, you two!”

Riza rolled her eyes again then leaned into Roy. He brushed her lips softly with his. The minute they touched he wanted to spend forever there, but he knew they couldn’t. It was fleeting, like all the other more intimate moments in their life.

The flash of a camera blinded Roy, startling them both apart.

“Hughes!” Roy complained. His friend just laughed in response, gripping his camera proudly.

“Don’t worry. I have one of Havoc kissing Hayate under the mistletoe. This is just to add to the collection. Soon, I’ll have the whole team!” The twinkle in his eyes told Roy that no matter how much he tried Roy wouldn’t be able to get him to burn that photo. Honestly, Roy would have liked a copy for himself, but that was off limits.

Roy just sighed and shook his head. Riza didn’t protest, just excused herself softly, but not before shooting him a small smile. The sight of it made Roy’s stomach flutter.

“Think yourself lucky I didn’t appear two minutes earlier,” Hughes mused, watching her leave and greet other party members. Roy’s gaze wasn’t far off.

“Hm? And why is that?”

“Because if I had, I’d have made you kiss Breda.”

Roy chuckled to himself, shaking his head fondly at Hughes. “My heart belongs to one, Hughes. I can’t go about kissing whoever I like.”

“I know,” Hughes stated, but that secretive grin was back on his face. “But it could have added to my collection.” Roy rolled his eyes. “You’ll thank me when you can look back on all of these and laugh. Think of it as past me providing entertainment for _future_ you, when you’re feeling particularly down.”

“Whatever you say,” Roy replied, waving off his explanation. Despite the ridiculous intent, it would be lovely to have these moments to look back on one day.

“By the way… Did you put that there on purpose?” Hughes asked, his eyes narrowing with a knowing look after motioning to the mistletoe above them.

Roy shrugged. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” he replied casually, a slow smile dragging his lips upwards. Hughes shook his head and laughed to himself, clapping Roy on the shoulder amicably before re-joining the festivities, muttering about going to find Armstrong and someone else to put under the mistletoe. Roy would re-join in a minute too, but his eyes were too busy tracking his lovely Lieutenant for now.


	18. christmas time (don't let the bells end)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> christmas time (don't let the bells end) - the darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a gift for sam (skm_creations) for his birthday <3
> 
> sam is truly one of the greatest friends i've ever had and i can't imagine my life without him in it. it would be very boring indeed!  
> thank you for being my angst friend and just Getting Me in a way no one else does you're one in a billion and i'm so grateful we met  
> ilysm and always will <3 thank you my friend!!!!

**_you've got your career spent the best part of last year apart and it still hurts_ **

**_so that's why i pray each and every christmas day that it won't end_ **

Roy snuck into Riza’s apartment stealthily. The rucksack on his back was less discreet than he would have liked, however there was not much else he could do. He didn’t have many presents, but he was proud of what he’d got her for Christmas. The best one was in her locker at the firing range at work, and while he would have liked to have given it to her tomorrow morning when they awoke, it would raise suspicion for him to be walking around with a rifle case in this neighbourhood. Anyone purposefully watching him would know exactly where he was heading after clocking that case.

“You know, you could have just used the door,” a quiet, yet amused, voice greeted him. A yip from Hayate accompanied her greeting and Roy turned after softly closing her bedroom window, shutting out the cold and the wind whistling through the gaps of the fire escape he’d climbed up.

“It was safer,” he grinned. “Plus, if you’d _really_ wanted me to use your front door, you wouldn’t have left the window open in the middle of winter.” Roy shivered at the reminder of the cold that had bit at his face moments ago. He was sure his cheeks were bright pink.

Riza offered him a small smile and approached him in the gloom of her bedroom. Her hands were placed gently on his chest and Roy held his breath, awaiting her next step, almost shivering in anticipation. Hands snaked up to his shoulders and around his neck, one tangling in his hair while the other curled around the collar of his shirt and jacket. She drew him close and it was like a spark that lit the flames. They met each other halfway. The kiss was feverish – the result of them being apart and having no real contact with one another for the last two weeks. It had been hell. Roy’s hands slid around her back and pulled Riza even tighter against him. Her back arched and she moaned breathlessly into his mouth, her hands now cupping his cheeks, anchoring him in place.

“Hello,” he grinned, unable to resist pecking her on the lips again after they broke apart.

“Hey,” Riza replied, smiling up at him with not only her lips. Her eyes danced even in the dim light, pouring out the love she felt for him into his own eyes, and Roy was lost in it for a moment. “Does this have presents in it?” Riza asked, a hint of a pleased smile in her voice. She slipped the backpack off his shoulders, relieving him of it while Roy recovered after what he’d seen in her eyes.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Wow, Roy Mustang, rendered speechless by a kiss?” Riza teased, glancing at him over her shoulder as she walked to enter her living room. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Roy blinked after her, then chuckled. “If it’s a kiss from you, then it happens every time.”

“Really?” she asked doubtfully, raising an eyebrow. She’d turned to face him fully after depositing his bag on her couch. One hand was on her cocked hip, the other resting on the arm of the couch beside her.

Roy smiled as he approached, cupping her face in his hands. “Always,” he murmured against her lips. Riza initiated it again and drew him close by the lapels of his jacket.

“So…” Riza ventured, still holding him close to her lips.

“Yes?” he chuckled.

“What did you get me?”

Roy laughed and pecked her cheek, digging into his backpack. He handed her three small parcels – one was a scarf he’d overheard her talking to Rebecca about, another was a blouse he’d picked out for her himself, and the final one was a book she’d been discussing with Falman a few weeks ago in the office. The best one, though, wasn’t wrapped, and would be revealed as soon as he handed it over.

“Those three are for tomorrow, but I’m really excited about this one and wanted to give it to you today.”

“Okay then,” she smiled in amusement. “Go ahead.”

They found themselves sitting on the rug in front of her roaring fire, side by side with their backs leaning against the couch, before Roy handed it over. Hayate was curled in between their knees. It was the most domestic moment they’d ever had together in their adult lives. For a second, he forgot about all that went on in the outside world.

“Roy…” Riza whispered in wonder, staring down at the rifle’s user manual in her hands. It was a new rifle for her – the one that was currently in her locker at work.

“I couldn’t bring it here because it would be suspicious,” he explained, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s in your locker at work.” Riza turned to him, flabbergasted. She did nothing but blink at him, her mouth working to try and say _something_ , but coming up with nothing.

However, the way she expressed her thanks came in a much better method, leaving them tangled in her sheets in the late hours of the day.

“I don’t want this to end,” Roy murmured in her ear. They were facing each other in her bed, Riza’s head tucked underneath his chin as he drew lazy patterns on her exposed back. Her hands returned the favour in kind, drawing similar patterns on his bare chest. Every so often his breathing would hitch, and Riza would smile to herself because she’d drawn that out of him.

Riza curled closer into him, burying her face in his chest and nodded in agreement. “Neither do I.”

Because when they returned to work after Christmas Day, she’d return to being Bradley’s hostage and they’d have to act with casual indifference when they passed each other in the hallways, as if the whole situation didn’t bother them both.

But it did. It really did, because nothing hurt more than pretending she was just offering a professional courtesy when saying hello to the man she loved when passing him in the hallway at HQ.

A distant clanging reached them from outside. It was almost muted by the whistling wind, but it managed to reach them both. The bells of the cathedral in Central were tolling, signalling the new day. It resonated within both their hearts, because it was one step closer to being apart again for god knows how long.

“Midnight,” Riza muttered.

“Merry Christmas, Riza,” Roy whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Merry Christmas, Roy.”

“May those bells never end, and I get to live in this moment forever.”

Riza huffed a laugh, but a pain clutched at her chest. They’d made their bed and now they had to lie in it, but it didn’t mean it was easy. It was bearable when she could watch his back, but now they’d been torn apart there was a constant anxiety within her, because she wasn’t fulfilling her promise. Being unable to protect him caused her to lose her sole purpose in life for almost a decade – push him to the top so he could cause the change they both wanted to see in the world, and prevent the atrocities they lived through from happening again.

She didn’t know what she’d do if she failed by not being by his side.

One certainty was this, though. They couldn’t do this again until the enemy was beaten. It was too risky, too dangerous. They couldn’t be together anymore, not like this. And although it was Christmas, supposedly a time for happiness and joy, Riza felt nothing but sorrow in her heart because of that fact.

But it was what they deserved, she supposed, after all they’d done.


	19. mistletoe and wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mistletoe and wine - cliff richard

**_a time for living, a time for believing_ **

**_a time for trusting, not deceiving_ **

**_love and laughter and joy ever after_ **

**_ours for the taking, just follow the master_ **

Riza watched as Roy moved around his living room lighting candles as he went. A smile spread over her face as she noted the look of concentration on his face. He looked positively adorable with his brow slightly furrowed while he snapped away, lighting the candles around the room. Despite being able to use alchemy like the Elric’s could, with just a clap of his hands, Roy preferred still using his gloves. It was the technique he was most proficient in and had pinpoint accuracy with it. Riza preferred it too, because it also meant he didn’t set his apartment on fire.

“There,” he muttered to himself, flopping down on the couch with such a force is jostled not only Riza, but Hayate too. Her dog jumped at the sudden disturbance, wakened from his impromptu nap in the comfort and warmth of Roy’s apartment. Oblivious, Roy picked up his wine glass and took a sip, relaxing back into the cushions.

Riza’s arm was propped up on the back of his couch, her head resting on a closed fist as she watched him move. In her other hand, she held her own wine glass which was considerably less full than Roy’s. He’d taken his sweet time getting everything organised, so his living room was warm and cosy after dinner.

“All done?” Riza enquired lightly.

“Yeah,” he smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she reassured him. “It was very endearing to watch.”

“It’s funny,” he mused, swirling the wine around in his glass. “We’ve been in warzones, firefights, and faced off against superhuman beings. And yet, this last month, where we’ve been tasked with the most mundane things after finishing rebuilding Central, those are the tasks that feel the most difficult to do.”

“We haven’t exactly had the most conventional lives,” Riza replied.

“No, I suppose not. Just think,” Roy murmured, looking onto the flames of his fire. “This time last year we were being held hostage by homunculi.”

“Now look at us,” she smiled, taking another sip.

“I know,” he chuckled, turning his head to look at her. “Spending Christmas Eve together in the peace of our home, away from outside scrutiny.” Roy’s smile grew into a grin. “It’s a nice feeling,” he murmured wistfully, turning back to stare into the fire.

Riza nodded in agreement and set her wine glass on his coffee table. She sidled up to him, displacing her disgruntled pup onto the floor. Hayate stretched and padded over to in front of the fire, knowing he’d get more peace there than by his human companion’s side. Riza motioned for Roy to turn, and after a few moments they’d repositioned themselves so Roy was leaning against the side of his couch with his legs stretched along the cushions, and Riza squeezed herself in the gap between his body and the back of the couch. She snuggled in close to him, very grateful and very aware that she was able to physically do this now.

“I agree,” Riza murmured, breaking the silence. “I feel like at any moment, this peace will be shattered.”

“Is that why you’re still wearing your holster?” Roy teased.

“Guns stay on during Christmas,” she deadpanned but smiled as soon as Roy burst out laughing. His head had tipped back, face angling up towards the ceiling. Hayate huffed one final time and trotted into Roy’s bedroom out of sight so he could enjoy his nap.

“I love you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Don’t ever change, Riza.”

“I won’t,” she promised, her stomach flipping pleasantly.

“We’ve worked hard these past few years,” Roy murmured after a moment of quiet. “It feels strange to suddenly stop and have a proper break.” Riza hummed in agreement. Her eyes had fluttered closed as she listened to his heartbeat underneath her ear. “It’s boring.”

Riza chuckled. “What, having no one trying to kill you is boring?”

“Well… yes.”

Riza hummed again, snuggling closer into his chest. “I agree. It renders me obsolete.”

“You could never be obsolete to me,” he whispered in her ear. Her stomach flipped again, and she smiled.

“Good to know.”

“I wonder what excitement this next year will bring. More budget reports? More transfer papers? The world is my oyster!”

“Happiness,” Riza replied, her tone serious. She appreciated his joke but felt this was the right moment for the thoughts that had been stewing inside of her for a while. “Peace, hopefully, and a time to live and continue to make do on our promise.”

Roy squeezed her shoulder with the arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Definitely. A time for living. A time for working towards peace. The future is ours for the taking. I can’t wait to live through it with you by my side.” Another kiss was pressed into her hair.

Riza smiled. “I can’t wait either.”


	20. heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heartbeat - steps

**_oh but my feelings are in vain_ **

**_just like the feelings they won't go away_ **

**_my love remains_ **

**_in my heart we'll always stay_ **

Roy knocked back the whisky in his glass with careless abandon. Not even the ruckus from the back room of his aunt’s bar swayed him to care.

It had been almost a year since her disappearance. In a puff of smoke, the love of his life had disappeared off the face of the earth on Christmas day with no note, no reason why, and no explanation for him. He’d woken up and waited for a call from her. And waited. And waited…

Roy had no idea where she’d gone, but the fact remained that she’d left him behind.

It still hurt.

The most excitement he had nowadays in his dull grey life without her, was a rather strange conversation with a man at work today, who’d been dragged away from him with no further explanation. Roy couldn’t bring himself to care. He went about his day without another thought for that stranger. Not much else interested him in his dull life now that she was gone. She’d been the light, hence the return to drab greys. Not much else sparked anything within it.

“Roy!” Chris called through to him.

“What?” he replied gruffly. The alcohol was already beginning to take action.

“Roy!” Her bark was more forceful now, snapping him out of his slow descent to a drunken stupor. He shoved himself up, pushing off the top of the bar, as he rounded it to the back room. The first room he entered was only for show – a typical kitchen you’d see in a bar – but then stepping into the hallway behind and the door to the right, the place was full of tactical gear and weapons. The rug had been pulled up to reveal the hidden underground tunnel Madame Christmas’ agents used.

“Get in here,” she called through. Her voice sounded strained and Roy’s curiosity got the better of him.

Stepping into the room he got the shock of his life.

There, on the floor, getting CPR delivered to her, was his ex.

The love of his life.

Riza Hawkeye.

Roy watched as Vanessa leaned over Riza, breathing air into her lungs. Her chest deflated as Venessa went back to pressing on her chest to keep her heart pumping, but it didn’t move by itself.

“What –?” he asked dumbly, too shocked to do anything. His knees shook, threatening to make him fall.

“Roy! Ambulance!”

He was in shock, but he was still a military man. His training kicked him into gear, and he raced for the phone, dialling the number, because if he didn’t, Riza could die.

He’d never been involved in the Madame’s network. He was an informant more than anything. With his high position in the military he could pass on information to his aunt, and vice versa. They worked well, both reaping the benefits from what they shared with one another.

Riza hadn’t been either, as far as he’d been aware, but the thought had crossed his mind when she disappeared without a trace. Chris said nothing on the matter, but she wouldn’t. The secrecy she offered her agents was their security. However, if Riza had been working for his aunt, then she’d lied to him. Withheld the truth.

If she was here, lying on the floor, half dead, then she was working for his aunt…

Half dead. Focus on that. Get her heart beating again and deal with it later.

The ambulance took five minutes. It felt like a lifetime to Roy. Then, she was whisked away to the hospital and Roy instinctively moved after them to follow, only to be stopped with a hand on his chest. Glancing down, he saw the manicured hand of his aunt, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she looked in the direction the ambulance had left, even after it disappeared from view.

“Roxanne.” His adoptive sister’s name was spoken quietly, but the woman nodded and armed herself discreetly before slipping out the door to follow Riza to the hospital.

“What –?” Roy began to ask, no, demand, and explanation about _what the fuck was going on_ , but Chris stopped him.

“Inside.”

“Inside” was her meeting room. Although, it was more of a war room nowadays. A map of Amestris was strewn across one table with points marked out on it with blue pins. A map of Central was placed similarly on the other, red pins sticking out this time. They were the only two in there. The rest were outside – Roy could hear them – planning a strategy or a retaliation to whatever had happened to Riza tonight. They were all in on it.

He wasn’t.

That hurt more than Roy would have liked to admit.

The woman he loved had left him without a word and everyone knew about it in his family except from him.

“What happened?” he asked, his tone taking on a growl as he rounded on his aunt.

“Watch your tone, boy,” she snapped back, not giving him an inch. “She was on a mission for me.”

“This past year?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

“Yes.”

“ _Why_ didn’t you tell me?” he growled, properly this time.

“It’s not my policy –”

“ _Fuck_ the policy,” he barked, slamming his hand down on the table he’d come to lean against. “She was my fiancé. I’m your _nephew_.”

“She asked me to remain silent on the issue, and of course, I had to agree.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“The world does not revolve around you, Roy. You can’t just demand that things change only when they affect you. You have no _idea_ how many friends I’ve had to bury then lie to their families about their deaths, just to maintain the secrecy.” His aunt’s eyes burned with such ferocity that it made Roy pause. “Don’t for a second think I went ahead with this with no consideration for Riza or the people around her. I didn’t even _want_ her to do it, but she persisted.”

Roy scowled and bowed his head, knowing he was beaten. His anger was directed at the wrong person. It was probably unwarranted too. She had just returned to him suddenly, having been clinically dead for ten minutes. Riza didn’t deserve for him to be ranting and raving at her right now.

_Find out what happened, if you can. Take it from there._

“She’s going to Central City hospital,” Chris revealed gently. “I won’t stop you from going, but _please_ , think before you act. That’s all I ask of you.”

Roy pushed off the table and left the room without another word.

* * *

The machine beeped loudly inside his skull, reminding him that Riza’s life still hung in balance. Her heart rate echoed loudly in the quiet room the only other sound was her breathing. Roy was torn, unsure what to do with himself.

He felt betrayed by her, but she was hurt. Extremely so. He couldn’t leave her. One side of him just wanted her to wake so he knew she was okay, the other half wanted her to wake so he could demand answers about what happened.

Running a hand over his face, Roy gripped the roots of his hair as if he could ring his feelings out of his body that way. He was a mess. He didn’t know what to feel. He was numb.

He just wanted to know why.

He wanted to know she was going to be okay.

Roy wanted to cover his ears and block out the sound of her heartbeat through the machine, because it was a constant reminder that she was currently suffering. However, at the same time, he wanted to cherish every sound, because it meant she was still alive.

Her heartbeat gave him hope.

It took two days for her to wake. The longest two days of Roy’s life. He never left her side. In his head, he would psych himself up to leave, but he never did. Roy couldn’t bring himself to. If he tore himself away, he’d no longer hear the beep that meant she was alive, and he couldn’t do that.

On that second day he’d grasped her hand lightly in his. Roy’s fingers curled around her cooler ones lightly. He let his thumb stroke over her knuckles and found himself feeling very tired.

He didn’t care anymore. He didn’t care why she’d left. Roy no longer thought it mattered that she’d kept something like this from him. Riza was a _good_ person, and one of the kindest souls he’d ever met. She’d obviously done this for a reason. It wouldn’t be for his benefit, but there was obviously something bigger than him going on, that she needed to do.

He huffed a laugh, a smile gracing his lips as he stared at their joined hands. Yep. That sounded like his Riza all right. Always putting others before herself to ensure their safety and peace of mind.

Riza’s fingers twitched in his. Roy watched them for a second, then his eyes flew up to meet her face. It was a grimace, her eyes squeezed shut as her breathing picked up slightly.

“Riza,” he called to her. Roy had moved from leaning back with one ankle resting on his other knee, and was now straining forward, his bottom almost out of his seat as he watched her painfully regain consciousness. “Riza, come back to me,” he whispered.

This time alone with her had given Roy some time to think. He still loved her. Whether that was the case for Riza or not, he didn’t know. However, he couldn’t hold those feelings at bay. Not now. Not after waiting for days to her awaken, and now it finally happening. Everything came rushing back and Roy let it wash over him alongside his relief. It was a blessing – the best Christmas present he could have ever asked for, was her return – but it may end up being a curse. She might want nothing to do with him. This mission may have been a convenient excuse to get away from him.

Roy didn’t care, because she was finally waking up.

His limbs shook as he rose from the chair, leaning over her as he witnessed her return to reality.

“Roy?” she asked. Her voice was so quiet, so scratchy. Her eyes opened blearily, vaguely focussing on him.

“Hey,” he whispered, feeling tears cloud his vision. She’d been dead. She hadn’t been breathing when she’d arrived at Chris’ house. And now, here she was. Alive and awake in front of him. Roy ran a hand from her hair down to her cheek.

“You…” Her eyes widened. Opening her mouth to speak brought on a cough, which made her face contort in pain. Despite the intensity of her betrayal, Roy felt his heart ache because she was suffering. He placed a hand on her back, holding her upper body up so it would take the strain off her broken ribs. “You’re alive,” she breathed, tears collecting in her eyes.

Roy blinked at her. “Of course, I am.”

“Good,” she replied, closing her eyes and relaxing back into her bed. “Good,” she mumbled.

“Riza, what do you mean?”

She shook her head, holding up two fingers, asking him to give her some time. Riza appeared to be mentally preparing herself for something, while readjusting to being awake again after two days out of it.

“There was a plot to kill you. I had to stop it.”

Roy blinked back at her. _What?_ Silence had reigned as she collected herself, and it continued after she dropped that bomb on him too.

“What?”

Riza nodded, shifting painfully in place. “I left to try and stop it.”

“Wait… _What?_ ”

Riza sighed then grimaced, the action paining her broken ribs form the CPR. “There was a group of Drachman soldiers looking to infiltrate the military and assassinate those in the highest power to try and take down Amestris.”

That… Surely the military would have had some inkling of this? Some way of knowing, chatter, that this was on the cards and going to happen. Why did only Chris have access to this information?

Wait… Drachma…

The man that had been dragged away from him the other day was Drachman.

“They were trying to kill me?”

Riza nodded. “An assassination attempt. I think they got wind of our plan to stop it and attempted a rush job. Luckily my contacts managed to intervene.”

“I… A man got dragged away from me a few days ago. He was Drachman. Was that him?”

Riza nodded. “Most likely, yes.”

“Why…” Roy frowned. “What I don’t understand was why you had to disappear for almost a year to stop this.” Roy swallowed, his eyes falling to the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“To keep you safe.” Her reply was simple, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“That’s not your job,” he ground out. “It never will be, not at the expense of your own life.”

“I know that,” Riza nodded calmly. “But once one of Christmas’ agents, you always are. Old habits die hard, and I couldn’t let this go on right under my nose and not do anything about it.”

Roy hung his head. Riza had been one of Chris’ agents. He’d never known. His aunt had only told him yesterday when she’d visited Riza. He’d been left reeling. His fiancé of two years hadn’t told him she had worked for his aunt in the past. Just how far did this distrust go?

No… Not distrust. Chris had a strict policy with her agents. If they were caught, they’d never heard of her before. It was a part in their contract that lasted for as long as they wished to work with the Madame. However, afterwards, in order to protect her organisation, they were forbidden to speak about it with anyone. Roy knew this. His aunt was strict on her secrecy policy, and like she said, the world didn’t revolve around him. The same rules applied to him and Riza, because she worked with Chris. It wouldn’t change for her nephew. It would have hurt less if it did, but Roy had had more than enough time to think over the past few days. He’d come to an understanding about it all after a conversation with Chris.

“I did it because I love you, Roy,” Riza whispered, tentatively reaching out to grasp his hand. He didn’t react to her touch, because he was still reeling. How could he know what to believe now? “I still do,” she added, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I knew going into this I’d be sacrificing that trust with you.” Riza retracted her hand. “I knew that, but I still went ahead with it, because I was best suited to the job to protect you.” Riza cleared her throat and clasped both hands in her lap. “I’m the only one in the organisation that can speak Drachman fluently, so I had to rise to the occasion. It kept you safe,” she finished, her head lifting to meet his eyes. “And I don’t regret that one bit. Keeping you alive was top priority, even if it meant sacrificing what we had. That’s how much I love you.” Riza cleared her throat again, then grimaced as the action pained her ribs. “But I understand if you no longer want a part in it. I betrayed your trust by keeping this from you and disappearing on you for almost a year. I don’t blame you for wanting to leave.” She settled back in her bed and closed her eyes, but Roy caught the wetness underneath her eyelashes. Despite the show of emotion, her voice was strong. “You don’t need to stay. It’s okay. At the end of the day, you’re alive, and that’s all that matters. Don’t feel the need to stay if you don’t want to.”

He didn’t know what he wanted. He thought he had it all worked out…

Roy didn’t know what to do.

He still loved her. He never could stop. In his heart there would always be a special place for her, and that would never change.

But this… She’d saved his life. That was a fact. But… She’d left just like that, leaving him in the dark for a year, thinking she was dead, and not trusting him enough to tell him about it. Hell, he could have dealt with it himself.

Just what else was she hiding from him? Could he ever trust her again?

A nurse passed by the room pushing a cart, going about her business for the day. On it was a little radio, playing Christmas music. She hummed along as she passed by, and the sound floated down the corridor after her.

Roy had yet to decide if this was the best Christmas present he’d ever gotten, or the worst. He didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't 100% happy with this chapter and idk why probably just compared to the themes of the other ones in this collection but ehhhh it's angst so i'm ok with it really
> 
> sorry if it disappoints


	21. all i want for christmas is new year's day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> all i want for christmas is new year's day - hurts

**_everybody waits for christmas_ **

**_for me it's new year's day_ **

**_that's gonna come and take my blues away_ **

**_i'm wishing on the stars for christmas_ **

**_and hoping for a better day_ **

**_when it doesn't hurt to feel this way_ **

“I don’t care about Christmas,” Riza muttered more to herself than Roy. She caught him freezing out the corner of her eye. Curious, she looked up at him, wondering why he’d stopped moving.

“You don’t _care_?” he asked, seemingly baffled by the concept.

Riza shrugged. “It’s never been anything special to me.”

“But… It’s a time for family, for love, and… Oh.”

“ _Oh_ ”, was right. She had none of that in her life. Not anymore, and Roy was just remembering that fact.

Riza snorted softly and stood from her chair at the kitchen table. She’d peeled all the potatoes and carried them over to the pot, placing them in to cook. Roy would come shortly afterwards with the carrots, but he was still, staring at her.

“All I want for Christmas is for New Year’s Day to come by quicker,” she replied quietly, glancing outside the kitchen, afraid her father would overhear.

“Why?”

Riza jumped, because Roy was suddenly right next to her. His eyes were boring into hers, expectant for her answer. “Oh, um,” Riza stuttered, flustered by the sudden invasion of her personal space. She never liked it when people did that but with Roy… It felt a little different. She didn’t mind it so much. “It’s…” Riza glanced outside the door again. “It’s the only day of the year he leaves the house.” Riza retuned to stirring the potatoes. “I don’t know why, and I don’t really care now, but it’s the only day I get peace.”

Roy said nothing, then returned to the table to continue cutting his carrots.

“If I’d known that, I’d invite you to my house,” he replied.

The thought was nice, but Riza knew that would never happen. Her father would never allow it. “That’s nice of you,” she replied politely.

Roy placed his carrots in the pot, a frown gracing his features. It was his “thinking face”, as Riza liked to call it. It was always present when he was working on an alchemy problem that was particularly difficult. She didn’t know what that look meant, and she was almost too afraid to ask.

“I’ll be right back,” he stated, determination on his face. He left the kitchen and Riza watched him go, thoroughly confused. She sighed then returned to her task. Christmas was months away, anyway. She had plenty of time to worry about another holiday completely alone.


	22. it's the most wonderful time of the year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's the most wonderful time of the year - andy williams

**_it's the most wonderful time of the year_ **

**_there'll be much mistltoeing_ **

**_and hearts will be glowing_ **

**_when loved ones are near_ **

**_it's the most wonderful time of the year_ **

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” a very drunk Roy sang loudly as he danced around her living room with Hayate. The pup was almost up on his hind legs, following along as his master as he stumbled from side to side. “Riza!” he grinned as he spotted his wife entering the living room. She smiled at him and shook her head, noticing the jaunty angle his party hat sat at, and the beer in his glass sloshing with his enthusiastic dance moves. “Come here,” he beckoned, opening his arms.

She stepped into them, grinning at him. Roy enveloped her tightly in his arms, spinning her around in a circle. Miraculously, he still never spilled a drop of beer. Riza’s laughed along with him as they spun happily in place.

“It’s the hap –” He hiccupped loudly in her ear. “Happiest season of all!” Roy slowed to a stop, looking slightly green around the gills after his vigorous movements.

“Why don’t you have a little seat?” Riza offered, clutching his bicep as he tilted to the side, almost falling over.

“Nah! ‘Tis the season! No time for sitting down! It’s time for celebrating!”

Riza grinned at his antics, thoroughly amused. It was refreshing to see him to free and happy. He deserved it after all the work he’d put in this year. “If you don’t sit down, you might puke on me.”

“I don’t want that,” he reasoned. Just as he was about to fall rather unceremoniously onto the couch, arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her down too. “But only if you join me,” he grinned, his drunken state turning it lopsided. She laughed as they fell in a heap, but Roy’s grip on her was tight, never letting her go. The thought was comforting.

Roy shifted so he was lying down on the couch with Riza practically on top of him. Then, his lips started on her own, then trailed up her cheeks, kissed her nose which made her giggle, then moved down the other side to her neck. Riza smiled and angled her neck to he could access it better instinctively. She let out a happy sigh, relaxing into his hold.

“I love you,” he drawled, his lips brushing her skin sloppily. She swatted him away and pushed herself up, so she was resting her hands on his chest. His hands never left her waist. Riza gazed down at him lovingly, her smile growing when his smile turned goofily happy. She pecked him on the nose, which made him giggle. Roy. Giggle. It was an enchanting sound, and one that only came out when he was _really_ drunk.

“Merry Christmas, Roy,” she smiled, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him. His eyelids blinked slowly, and when they opened his goofy grin reappeared.

“Merr’ Christmas Riza,” he slurred. “I love you.”

“You said that already,” she teased, shifting up so she could kiss him.

“I can never say it enough. It’s the most wonderful time of year, after all, and that means…” he trailed off, his eyelids drooping closed.

Riza chuckled and poked his shoulder. He jerked his eyes open, fighting the pull of sleep. “And that means…?” she prompted.

“What?” he asked, brow furrowing.

“You said “it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and that means…”, then you stopped.”

He cocked his head in thought – reminiscent of Hayate, which amused Riza no end. “Ah! It’s wonderful because I get to spend it with you,” he finally finished, hugging her tightly against his chest.

Riza felt the comfort and warmth of his love wash over her. “I feel the same way,” she murmured.

“Hey, since it’s Christmas, does that mean you’re my present?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Riza laughed and shook her head, managing to extract herself from his hold. She stood and caught a glance of his pout as he remained on the couch. Turning in place, Riza approached their bedroom, knowing Roy would be tracking her every move as she moved, even in his drunken state.

Pausing in the doorway, she turned and looked over her shoulder. “Your present will be waiting for you in the bedroom,” she smirked.

Roy stood, then promptly tripped over his own feet in his haste. He fell face first, slamming into the carpet and giving Hayate a very large fright. Riza couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing, then hurried forward to help him up. As soon as he was standing, his hands gripped her waist tightly.

“Meant to do that,” he mumbled, pressing his lips against hers, his hands gripping her waist tightly.

“Sure, you did,” Riza reassured him, then rolled her eyes at his antics.

“It got me closer to you, didn’t it?”

“You were going to be closer to me anyway.”

“Nah, not soon enough,” he declared, kissing her as he backed her up and into the bedroom. It was a miracle she wasn’t walked into a wall. “Not soon enough for the most wonderful time of year!”

Riza shook her head, muttering under her breath that he was beginning to sound like Alex Armstrong. Roy just kissed her harder, his expert touch playing her body like a harp and quickly eliciting different sounds from her throat. She was lost to it all, embraced tightly by his love, as they fell into their bed.


	23. the twelve days of christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the twelve days of christmas - roger whittaker

**_on the fifth day of christmas my true love gave to me_ **

**_five gold rings_ **

“What’s this?” Riza asked, pausing from closing her desk drawer. The General had placed an inconspicuous paper bag on her desk with no further word, just a small smile on his face.

“Christmas present,” General Mustang replied.

“Sir, we said –” Riza sighed.

“I know, Captain, but humour me,” he grinned. “I can’t not get my staff Christmas presents. Not after all you’ve done for me over the years.” Riza rolled her eyes fondly then pulled the paper bag towards her.

“So, day five,” Riza remarked. Five days left until Christmas, and the General was being a complete dork, following along with the Christmas carol about the twelve days of Christmas. The others had been small presents, thankfully. Riza realty didn’t want to have to deal with seven swans swimming in her office, six geese laying eggs, or a partridge in a pear tree. The swans had been origami, all seven of them. The geese were six tiny toy geese from a children’s toy set. It would be interesting to see how he worked a partridge in a pear tree. Maybe a drawing?

The rest of the team got the exact same. It was a bizarre theme he’d come up with, but Riza expected nothing less from her positively goofy General around this time of year. It was when he was at his happiest – his favourite holiday. It was always a treat each day this year to see what he’d managed to come up with.

Even though today was supposed to be five gold rings, she didn’t hold out much hope. She expected onion rings from the cafeteria, or something. In one box was one golden earring. The other was nowhere to be seen. Riza even lifted up the little velvet pillow the single was resting on. Roy chuckled.

“Try the bag for the next one.”

“Okay…” Riza replied, narrowing her eyes at him. She wasn’t sure where this was going, and certainly hoped these weren’t as expensive as she thought they were. He didn’t need to go through so much trouble –

Riza opened the next box and she froze. Inside was a gold band. The ring was simple in design, no further etchings on it upon first inspection, but if she’d taken it out, she’d see the words “ _ I love you _ ” inscribed on the inside of the ring.

“What –?” She froze for a second time, because the General was down on one knee in front of her. The rest of the team had appeared from absolutely nowhere, and Havoc was grinning, standing with his hand on Breda’s shoulder as he was stooped low, snapping pictures of her reaction from the best angle. Fuery stood beside them both, Hayate panting happily in his arms.

“Riza Hawkeye,” the General – no,  _ Roy _ – began, swallowing nervously as he began his little speech. “You’ve been my rock for as long as I can remember. You’re my constant, my touchstone, and I don’t know what I would do without you. I truly don’t. I owe you my life countless times. You save me time and time again, and I will never forget that.

“Now,” he continued, his tone changing as he shifted on his knees to relieve himself and allow the blood to continue to flow through his limb. “Fuhrer Grumman spoke to me today. He’d offering me the position of Fuhrer come the new year. So, what I want to ask, is…” Roy took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush as a smile appeared on his face. “Would you do me the honour of being my First Lady?”

Riza blinked at him.

When he said he’d gotten her five gold rings for Christmas this was  _ not _ what she expected. The rest had been joking presents but this – 

This wasn’t a joke. He was smiling softly up at her, awaiting her response.

“Yes,” she breathed. Roy grinned as the boys behind him whooped, the camera flashing like crazy, Breda doing Maes Hughes proud. Roy rose from his kneeling position and shuffled forward, slipping the ring on her finger effortlessly. It fit perfectly. Riza looked up from it, just staring at him, her mouth parted in complete shock. His smile was loving, his eyes soft as they looked back at her.

He’d… He’d been planning this, the  _ sneak _ . Riza let out a choked breath then threw her arms around him. She was still too shocked for tears. Still, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of him and letting it wash over her.

First Lady, huh...

“For the record,” he whispered, running his hand through her hair. “There are still three more boxes in there. You were supposed to open that one last.”

Riza let out a happy laugh, pulling away to look at him. She could feel her eyes were wet, but they were stopped when she saw the happy grin on his face.

“I’ll open them later,” she promised. “This is more than enough for now.”


	24. the magic of christmas time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the magic of christmas time - taeyeon

**_this time of year brings laughter and love_ **

**_when all of the celebration is done_ **

**_in our hearts it lives on_ **

**_it can last all year long_ **

Riza huddled closer to Roy on the busy station platform. He was paying more attention to where he was going rather than what she was doing, so didn’t entirely realise that he’d gripped her hand tightly and was towing her along.

“Exit…” he muttered to himself under his breath. “Where’s…? Ah!” Roy suddenly changed the way he was heading to aim for the exit, tugging Riza in a new direction. There was a quiet gasp at the sudden change, but Roy didn’t notice. He was too busy trying to navigate through the throng of people.

Central Station was the busiest in the country and he’d been there many times before, however being so short at the age of sixteen meant navigation was difficult when it was as busy as it was today. He’d had to stand on his tiptoes to see where he was going more than a few times, and inconsiderate adults always bumped into him. That’s why when he did realise he was holding Riza’s hand, he just gripped it tighter. The station was daunting for him the first time Roy had made this trip himself, however Riza was from a small farming village out east. The busiest that got was market day, and half the population was animals.

“There,” he announced brightly and proudly. They’d made it out relatively unscathed. There was an incident with a dog – the poor thing was anxious as hell in that environment and Riza bumped into it accidentally after being pushed and the animal turned and snapped at her – but they were both unharmed.

“That was… busy,” Riza finished nervously. She brushed up against him as people continued to push passed them, and Roy noticed, opting to steer her over to a quieter spot by her shoulders. It was outside in the winter chill and snow, but it was empty and free of busy commuters.

“I always feel like Central Station is a maze whenever I come here. It’s nice when its quiet though,” Roy grinned, turning to face her. His smile fell slowly when he noticed the look on her face. “Riza?” Her mouth was parted, and her eyes were wide as she looked out into the street. Following her gaze, Roy looked around to try and figure out the reason for her discomfort or stress but found nothing out of the ordinary. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

She took a step forward. It was like she was walking in a dream. Wordlessly, she held out her gloved hand. Roy watched on, his brow furrowing. Snow fell on the fabric and Riza watched as it melted because of the heat from her hand.

“Snow.” That one word was spoken with so much wonder that Roy paused.

“Yeah, it’s snow. It’s supposed to get pretty heavy over the weekend.” He wasn’t entirely happy about that fact. He loved the snow but hated how it turned to slush and made everything wet, making it more likely for everyone to slip.

“It’s… snow,” Riza whispered. She tore off her glove and stepped out from underneath their tiny shelter, still holding out her hand eagerly. Riza looked up in wonder, completely lost in the sight of it. The flakes fell in her hair and on top of her black winter jacket. Roy had brought it from Central for her, a gift from his Aunt, because if they were both coming to visit Aunt Chris for Christmas then Riza would need appropriate clothing. In the east it was always too warm, and the temperature never really dropped below –

Roy froze. Now he understood. In Riza’s village it was always extremely warm. Roy was always sweating when he had to venture out of the house because it was situated so close to the desert.

Had she never seen snow before?

Riza turned to look at him, the awe clear as day on her face. A smile spread across her face and Roy swallowed nervously, the feeling of wings fluttering forming in his stomach. It turned into a full-blown grin and she turned her face back to the sky, watching the flakes swirl and flutter down to increase the thickness of the blanket beneath their feet.

Roy watched, rapt. Then, he smiled.

Something told him this moment would stay with her forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there we have it! 24 fics in 24 days! that was a challenge but it was super fun and a lovely way to round off the year  
> i'll be taking a break over christmas and new year with posting (i say that but knowing me that could also be a lie bc i always itch to post stuff as soon as it's done rather than have it sitting there asdfgdasd) however i'll still be writing and i hope to start off the new year with my nano project from this year and by finishing my inferno  
> i wish you all a happy holiday period and i'll see you in 2020 <3 ily!


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